A Glimmer of Twilight
by butterfly collective
Summary: When Matt went away for six months to mend a broken heart, he never anticipated what would be waiting when he returned. Just borrowing Aaron Spelling's characters for fanfiction purposes but it's been 25 years so my memory's a bit weak.
1. Chapter 1

The sun rose over the range, basking the mountains with light that shimmered over the frozen lake. Silence hovered over the trees and the rocks and now and then, a ray of tenderness spotlighted the sprig of tired green and brown bouquets wedged between the cracks of what was once a dock.

The woman with the long dark hair tucked underneath the faded hat clucked to her horse as she picked her way through the path which wound through the mountains like a sidewinder. Her chap-clad legs squeezing the flanks and the subtle shifting of her hands unnecessary directions because Sienna had gone up these trails back and forth since she was a young filly.

"Come on girl," the woman said, "It's just over the bend." Sienna nickered, her breath clouding the still air and she kept going up the narrow trail, one foot at a time.

The woman looked around her as she always did, because even deep in the Rockies one could never be sure that they were alone. And there were times when being alone in the wilderness could get someone hurt or killed. The woman didn't care about that, solitude was what she wanted. Even natural predators in these parts like coyotes, cougars and the occasional bear couldn't compare to their two-legged counterparts in more urban settings. The woman would take her chances on the mountain trails rather than return to the world she had escaped.

Still, she looked around her once, then again just to be sure she hadn't missed anything or anyone.

"So what will it be? Are you going to tell me where she is or am I going to have to find her the hard way?"

Roy said nothing but looked at his nephew as he paced the room running his hand through his hair. In the corner of the spacious office stood two suitcases, unpacked. In fact, they hadn't even been opened since his nephew returned from his six-month sabbatical of sorts to the news that she was gone. Matthew stopped pacing and looked at the older man.

"I'm not mad at you. I just want to know what's going on,"

The edge in Matt's voice caught Roy's attention, and he sighed inside while keeping his exterior on ice. Roy studied the nephew he loved like a son and wondered how much he could trust him. Not that Matt was anything but honest in all his dealings and forthright always with his words whether he had chosen them carefully or not. He would only lie in one circumstance and that was to save a life and if he knew a life was endangered, he would never stop until he saved someone he loved.

Roy knew that about him and that's why he could never tell him the truth.

"So where is she," Matt pleaded this time, but his uncle simply stared back at him. Finally he sunk in the chair behind his desk. His eyes caught a snapshot in time ago framed on his desk, of her and him at the beach during happier times. The camera had caught something in him without him knowing. The way he looked at her, at the laughter in her eyes. It couldn't be the sun's reflection.

"I can't tell you," Roy said simply.

"What," Matt leaned forward, nearly knocking six months worth of contracts off of his desk.

"You'll just have to trust me."

"Trust? I walked in here just minutes ago after some time away…"

"Six months away," Roy reminded him.

"…And she's gone, for good. I hear that someone tried to steal my company while I was away and no one bothered to contact me."

"No one could find you."

Matt nodded, that much was true. After Elizabeth had left him literally at the altar, he had needed some time to get away, anywhere. So he had flown his helicopter out of Los Angeles to a chartered jet and had taken off for parts unknown, with no set plan for coming back. His heart healed quickly, more so than he had imagined but he found himself traveling to different places as he saw fit, following his emotional compass from one locale to the next. The people he'd met along the way helped him find pieces of himself he thought gone forever. Even the bandits that jumped him in one country, taking what they believed were the possessions of a vagabond left him feeling more whole than he had in months. After six months of living life in the moment, his journey was almost complete so it was time to come home.

Still, one piece remained.

"I'm back now. So are you going to tell me what's been going on," Matt said, still at his desk .

"Someone tried to steal your company," Roy said. "And he got away, not with your company or any of its assets but he escaped."

"Who was he?"

Roy looked at his nephew. He closed his eyes for a moment and then he lied.

"We're not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure? And who's 'we'?"

"'We' are some federal agencies and local ones too of course," Roy said.

Matt leaned back in his chair, thinking. He's gone for six months and someone or some people take advantage of his absence to launch a takeover bid or worse, but usually these people left some sort of trail behind in neon. So he knew his uncle wasn't telling him everything about what had happened. The same uncle who had been trained to lie by one of the government's shadow agencies but who as far as he knew had never lied to him. Until now.

"Who was it, Uncle Roy," Matt pressed.

But his uncle only shook his head.

She looked around at the trees surrounding her, like a fortress and she felt safe. Even though dark clouds began to crowd out the sun, the morning glow still outlined every tree she passed. Despite the chill, she pulled her hat off of her head and shook out her mahogany curls which nestled on her shoulders. Once, they'd been waves but standing in a motel bathroom a lifetime ago, she had shorn them off, dropping them in the waste bucket as just another piece of her old life. And when they grew back, the curls had tightened to fit in with her future.

There was no sign of the young mustang who had run off but she knew he was nearby. The yearling had escaped from the herd that was corralled back at base camp. Two nights ago, he had bolted the fence. Perhaps something had frightened him or more likely was calling to him from the edge of the wilderness, outside the ring of fire. She had volunteered to go off and get him, needing the time to herself. As much as she loved working on the ranch that had been her refuge for the past few months, she still often felt that people were like a wool blanket that surrounded her, suffocating her. Most of them understood, as many of the people at the ranch had been brought there by similar forces.

Still, Thea the ranch owner hadn't wanted her to go out alone. But when she saw the look in the woman's eyes, she had quietly passed her a saddle bag containing a thermos of coffee and some warm biscuits.

"Be careful out there, Kelly," was all she said.

Sienna 's voice rumbling from deep in her chest brought Kelly out of her thoughts of the ranch and she saw that light flakes fell on her arms and legs. But that's not where Sienna had focused her attention. Ahead of them , stood the yearling. Tall, broad in the chest and painted with a splash of black amid yellow including a stripe down his back.

"Whatcha doing Frisco, out here by yourself," Kelly moved her horse in closer to the yearling, speaking softly in the voice he loved. Frisco stood like a statue, waiting.

He stood still even as Kelly lassoed him and pulled him towards her and Sienna. His gentleness didn't surprise her considering that despite his wanderlust, Frisco bore the kindness of the mare who had birthed him. His placidity had amazed her when she had first arrived at the ranch. Most definitely not a chip off the old block given the reputation of his sire who had terrorized the range for more than a decade. His dam checked him over while Kelly reached into her saddlebag for some coffee. It would be a cold ride back down the mountain and she needed warmth in her blood not to mention all of her wits about her to make it safely back to the ranch, given that the snow that fell now often quickly became ice on the rocky trail. She hoped it wouldn't get worse.

Thea said she had a way with the horses, but Kelly didn't see anything she had as special. After all, she had grown up with them. She had ridden since she walked and had her own horse by the time she was in school. She had worked after school with her uncle on the ranch and even rode in competitions until she was in high school and her parents were both gone. Even when she spent most of her hours doing the studying that would earn her the valedictorian award at graduation, she still had time to spend with her horses. Not that it was just her choice. Her adoptive parents weren't wealthy and could only afford to hire one hand, even as ranches around them hired enough to fill a bunkhouse or two. Including her best friend who lived on a huge ranch raising Texas Longhorns on an adjacent property. But Kelly didn't fear hard work, it made her forget. She wore gloves, but beneath them her hands were rough from days spent roping cattle and mustangs and reining Sienna up and down numerous trails. Then there were the jagged lines which etched deep in her skin but she didn't want to think about that.

Still, she had to get on down the windy mountain and back to the ranch before it really started snowing. A blizzard could hit like a snake, from behind and faster than you could know it in time to save your life. But today, it just appeared to be flurrying, dancing on the breeze which swallowed up the mountain before winter began in earnest. The three of them would make it back to the ranch just fine but you never know so it was time to get going.

As she rode down the trail, with Frisco's body bumping her leg, she looked around again to make sure she wasn't being tracked by someone outside her range of senses. But quietness greeted her, the soft warmth of the sun which had crept out behind the clouds embraced her. She settled in her saddle and allowed Sienna to show the way.

"He won't tell me a damn thing, Hoyt," Matt said on his phone.

In most circumstances, he would have spent time catching up with his old friend from the Los Angeles Police Department, who had been promoted to a captain position three months ago. Hoyt still stayed in the field operations division, overseeing patrol officers who weren't much older than he had been when he had graduated from the police academy years ago. His wife who had spent several decades dreading the phone call that she just knew would rock her from her slumber and change her life but it never came. And it never would, if she had her way but while she wished her husband would take a desk job, she knew the streets were where he wanted to be.

"So you came to me," Hoyt sighed on the other end of the phone. "The department wasn't involved. It was a federal operation."

"That's what Uncle Roy said," Matt said.

"We handled the preliminaries of the investigation into your company. Then the feds came in, said it was their jurisdiction then took over," Hoyt said, "Did you talk to Murray?"

Murrey had worked as the president of Matt's company for the past year taking over that position so Matt could focus on his detective agency.

"No, I just got back into town," Matt said.

"Maybe you should talk to him about the details," Hoyt advise, but Matt had already hung up. He had gotten an idea.

Kelly dismounted from Sienna and led the mare and her yearling back into the coral. She opened up the gate and took the rope off of Frisco, who walked inside among the other horses. Sienna followed after her into the large barn at the end of the path. Unsaddling the mare and giving her a rub down, Kelly found her mind wandering back where it shouldn't, but it wasn't a horse that could be reined in when it took off. Images filled her mind when she least expected them and most of the time, a simple push would send them back to the recesses. But not all the time. Occasionally, a picture of her old life would linger and she would remember what it had been like before it had all gone to hell and brought her here. She led the mare to her stall and scratched her behind the ears as she ducked her head down. The thoughts came flowing.

A different time.

A different place.

A different life.

And a different name.

"


	2. Chapter 2

Some of these characters are the creations of the late great Aaron Spelling and are being used for entertainment purposes only. Some of them are creations of my own.

Thanks for the reviews and input! I really appreciate it. I'm new to the fan fiction writing though I've been reading at this site and others, thoroughly enjoying it and the stories written here. And it's fun! I'll try to update as much as possible but November's national novel writing month is coming up and I'm looking forward to trying to actually write 50,000 words in 30 days and hopefully to have them make some sense.

--

Chapter 2

Thea checked the stove where she had placed the soup earlier when Kelly walked into the kitchen, taking her coat off to hang on the nearest empty hook by the back door.

"Back already," Thea said, stirring the soup, "Where'd you find him this time?"

Kelly poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Up Mount Tejano, not far from where he went last time."

"He's lucky the weather's not bad right now or he might not have made it," Thea said.

"I don't get it. He gets out of the corral. Takes off up the mountain and then when I find him, he just follows me back to the ranch," Kelly said, shaking her head.

Thea smiled.

"He knows where home is."

Kelly frowned, sipping her coffee.

"His daddy gave him that wanderlust but lucky for us that's where his contribution ended," Thea said with a sigh.

‑­

Kelly had listened to many a story about Diablo Sol since her arrival at the ranch and suspected that about half of them were true. The dusky stallion stayed close to the mountains these days, rarely foraging into the valley. Every time a mare disappeared, the neighboring ranchers blamed Diablo Sol as they always had but Kelly thought that transcended what one horse could do during a period of time that spanned the life cycles of a half dozen stallions. And despite the tales told up and down the valley, Diablo Sol was surely mortal.

But where he had once commanded a mighty herd, these days the old guy ran alone, preferring his own company to his old lifestyle. Kelly wondered what had turned him away from his destiny, sipping her coffee again. Maybe she knew.

"I wish I'd seen him."

Thea smiled and looked at the younger woman.

"Oh you'll get your chance and it will be something you'll never forget"

--

Matt sat back in the chair of his office which occupied the penthouse suite of a skyscraper in Century City. The stack of paperwork that had spent up to six months waiting for him remained untouched. So did the takeout he had ordered that was his first meal since he had stepped off the airplane in Los Angeles to find his world had changed since he'd said goodbye to it and taken off. He knew his uncle had been less than honest during their conversation but didn't know why. His relationship with Roy rivaled the relationship he had with his adopted father in some ways. His hours spent with Roy while growing up had shaped his desire to use the investigative skills he learned working in military intelligence to help others. Still, there was a lot about his uncle he didn't understand and so much Roy could never tell his nephew about his past life working in the shadows.

His phone conversation with Murray who presided over his multi-million dollar corporation didn't paint a clearer picture of what had happened during his absence. Like any major business that was public, he had encountered his share of attempted buyouts and downright muscling by people who wanted in. What was it about this attempted takeover that was any different? It didn't surprise Matt that someone or someones had tried to take advantage of his long absence. What he didn't get, was the stonewalling by people he knew and trusted for so long, his whole life.

This reticence to answer his questions only aroused his suspicions further.

‑­

Matt automatically reached for the button on his phone to call Chris, his assistant before he remembered he was alone. So he did the next best thing and called her in Texas.

When he'd taken off, she had still worked for him but in his absence, she had down there to work with Murray at corporate headquarters. With her as Murray's right hand man, Matt knew his company had been in good hands. At least until the trouble started.

"Hello, this is Chris," a feminine voice said on the other end of the phone line.

"Hi Chris," Matt said. He heard what he thought was a sigh from Chris but she composed herself too quickly to be sure.

"Matt, is it really you?"

Chris sounded excited, but something else edged her voice. Wariness?

"Yeah, Chris. I got into L.A. today. How've you been?"

"Matt, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I transferred but…"

"No problem, I was out of town," he said, "How are you doing?"

"Fine…Murray's the task master we all know and love but he means well," Chris said, "I'm sorry about your company. Murray wants to set up a meeting and talk with you about it. Would that be okay?"

No, it wasn't okay, Matt thought but he played along, knowing that Chris's nature didn't include being coy. If she had held back on the details, there had to be a good reason.

"I heard Scott was running the regional office," Matt said. "I'll have to talk with him."

"Yes, I guess you will soon enough," Chris said, her voice sounding further away.

"So when should I meet your plane?"

"Not in L.A. Matt," Chris said, and she definitely sounded wary now. He decided then not to ask her about C.J.

"Fine, then I guess I'm flying out to Texas."

Matt looked at his luggage sitting by the door, still unpacked.

--

Thea's dinners always attracted a crowded table no matter what she cooked. Tonight the cream of tomato soup and some beef stew over dinner bread attracted the crew and by the time Kelly reached the table, only remnants of what had been remained.

Kelly sat next to Jed, one of the senior ranch hands who had worked with her the past several months and introduced her to the ranch. He gave her a weary smile, as he buttered one of the slabs of bread. She knew he had spent the day tracking down some cattle in the farthest reaches of the property with the other ranch hands. That had left only her to deal with the wandering Cisco.

"Heard you found Cisco on the ridge again," Jed said quietly.

"I know where to look. It was easy enough," Kelly shrugged.

"By yourself?"

"No, I took Sienna," Kelly said, reaching for the potatoes, "Besides the rest of you were out getting the cattle."

"It's not safe to go out by yourself, Kelly."

"It's as safe here as any place else, Jed," Kelly said, spooning some fried potatoes onto her plate. "The world is filled with dangerous places."

"True enough, but the mountain range can turn on you in a heartbeat," he said.

"That's true about a lot of things."

Kelly studied the older man, with gray peppering what must have been a thick rug of ebony in his younger years and bright blue eyes that hid a lot. Jed's hands were as weathered as the hat he favored and his limp worsened on days like this, but no one worked harder each day, all day into the night as he did. She suspected like her he kept secrets tucked behind his heart but one had slipped out one evening under a moonlit sky. The man was a poet.

"What are you smiling about," Jed grumbled, but his eyes didn't mean it.

Kelly shrugged and Thea watched the both of them. Two people who had met as strangers and had more in common than either realized.

--

"So you just got back and now you're going off to Texas?"

Matt looked up at his uncle who sat across him at the table while both of them mostly looked at the dinner in front of them. A waitress paused by their table every so often to ask if they needed anything. Right question to ask, even if by the wrong person.

"I'm going to meet with Murray and Chris about what's going on with Houston Enterprises," Matt said.

"But can't you rest up first, you've been gone for six months," Roy said, "There's a lot to catch up on. Where've you been?"

"I tried that earlier Uncle Roy, but you were evasive on what's been going on in your end," Matt said, "Then again so was everyone else."

Roy knew his nephew spoke the truth. But he also knew he had his reasons and his instructions.

"You're right."

"Why is that?"

Roy sighed and began nursing his scotch again. Matt knew his uncle wasn't a drinker. He also knew that this rule had changed in his absence and he had been taking advantage of it for the past hour.

"I didn't know how you'd handle the news that C.J. had left. And about your company. "

"Where is she?"

"I don't know. She called from a pay phone and said she couldn't tell me where she was or where she was going."

"What in blazes happened," Matt asked, then felt guilty knowing that each drink he had brought his uncle might bring him closer to some answers that might make sense.

"It's a long story, nephew. And it's got no ending," Roy said. "At least not yet."

"Can you start at the beginning?"

--

Kelly lay back in bed, too tired at this point to pull the sheets and comforter over her body. She had showered after dinner and now rested her head on the pillow, stroking Granville, the faded out tabby cat who kept her company at nights, even those that she dreamed.

He purred and burrowed his head beneath her arm while enjoying her caresses. He didn't seem to mind the deeply etched lines in her palm. The hands she kept sheathed with work gloves all day. She pulled up her hands and studied them. The lines which marked her hands had paled considerably from the angry red, then the glowering pink that they had once been into veins of silver. The pain itself had long receded even if the memories hadn't.

When the glass had first sliced into her palms, the burning sensation like scalding water had surprised her. She had raised her hands to break the glass to escape, thinking that the adrenalin rushing through her would erase any feeling. Instead, she found herself having to will the agonizing pain into a corner of her mind to be dealt with later as she focused on fleeing them. She'd already broken a bone in her wrist freeing herself from her cell.

After the glass broke, she took off running. She heard voices behind her, a multitude at first as she kept running until finally she heard just one. The same one who filled her dreams.

She kept running, until the ground ran out beneath her.

The long plunge from the rocks into the icy water hadn't erased it, even as the rush of cold water over her, almost consumed her. She had fallen for what felt like forever until the water smacked the breath right out of her. But it became her refuge if only it didn't kill her first.

She would never forget the voice of the faceless man shrieking her name behind her and she struggled to remember where she had heard his voice before. The tattoo on his arm, of what had looked like a family crest, etched inside her head but its details remained tantalizingly out of reach.

--

"She left," Roy said, simply, "She said it was either him or her."

"What do you mean, him or her?" Matt was confused.

"Scott Prescow the company's regional head. He came out to L.A. before you left. You remember him?"

"Yes, I do. He's the sharpest CPA we could find. The fact that he has a law degree from Yale doesn't hurt either."

"C.J. never warmed to him," Roy said.

"No she didn't," Matt said, frowning.

"She ever tell you why?"

Matt shook his head. He'd never really asked her about it but then again, his relationship with Elizabeth and their engagement had kept him busy.

"No, what happened when I was gone?"

"She came to me and said she didn't trust him."

"Did she say why?"

"Just a feeling, she said," Roy looked at his drink, "She wanted to get Murrey's brother to look at the books again."

"Myron, " Matt said, "When was this?"

"Not long after you left. At first, I thought she was upset about Elizabeth, the wedding and you taking off. She had talked to me about you and I suggested that she might be jealous. But then not long after that was when we discovered that several companies were trying to get in on Houston Enterprises."

"Both C.J. and I knew Scott when we were in high school. She seemed to like him just fine at least until she went to law school. They both were at Harvard."

"Things clearly have changed since then," Roy said, "But Scott is one of the top professionals in the business and the books look clean. Better, than when he got here. I thought maybe it was more personal."

Matt sighed.

"She just never took to him after we all graduated," he said, "even when they ran in the same crowd at law school."

"They were on the law review together, weren't they?"

Matt nodded, thinking.

"So what are you going to do?"

"I think I'm going to have a talk with Scott," Matt said, finishing his drink.

--

"He's back in town," a male voice said on a cell phone, from the corner booth of the same restaurant. "Sitting there with his uncle right now, probably asking a lot of questions."

"Perfect, a bit ahead of schedule but all the more reason to move forward with the next stage," the voice on the other line said.

"He was in his office all day so I couldn't check the equipment. I hope it works."

"It will, just like the bugs have."

"What if the Parsons woman shows up," the man asked. "No hide nor hair out of her for months but she's out there somewhere."

"I'm working on that too. No matter where she think's she's hiding, I'll find her."


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter three. I'm still working the plot line out a bit which is a lot of fun but challenging. I'm trying to remember as much of the back stories of characters as I can but it's been what, 25 years?! I'm also working in fleshing out some underdeveloped secondary characters as well which is a lot of fun. The characters are about the same ages as they were on the show but it's been moved up to modern times, hence the cell phones and texting.The current times are so much different than life and styles in the 1980s, so the characters might reflect that in small ways.

As stated, I'm borrowing the late great Aaron Spelling's characters for fun only.

--

"I'm going into town, anything you need?"

Thea looked up at Kelly, from her reading.

"Take the Rover," she said.

"Thanks," Kelly said, "I thought I'd get some things while the weather's still good."

"Sounds like a plan," Thea said, "if you're heading to the grocery store, could you pick up some of the usual? And some yams."

"Sure," Kelly put on her overcoat, her gloves and her hat over her faded jeans and flannel shirt and headed out to town.

The sun shone brightly, from just behind the mountains treating the valley to a sight that reminded its residents that autumn still reigned most days for a little while longer. Although nestled in the crest of a mountain range, the valley remained arid during the winters except for the occasional blizzards. But each day still carried with it enough capriciousness to begin with a sunrise and end with a white out. So she checked on the Rover's emergency kit to make sure it was stocked just in case.

The Rover clung to the road as it wrapped around the hills which were dwarfed by the Rockies. Kelly knew the route to Silver Lode by heart, the small town which if you sneezed, you'd miss. Still, about two hundred residents called it home and it boasted several small stores including a well-stocked grocery store and a saddlery shop that included its own feed lot. Not to mention a single story library that was next to Town Hall and the courthouse. Several bars lit up the nights during all seasons filling with men and women getting off work. Not that Kelly knew about that, she stuck to the ranch at night. If it was easier to hide in the dark, it was also more difficult to see who was coming. But the other ranch hands came back with enough stories about nights out on what passed for the bar scene to fill in for her lack of a social life.

She looked in the rear view mirror for other cars or signs of life on the road but only her own reflection greeted her. She'd felt uneasy in the past several days, not knowing why just that the prickle on the back of her neck down to her hair follicles had returned. Having settled into life on the ranch, she'd began to let her guard down and she wondered if that was a mistake.

--

"So what did you want to talk to me about, Matt," Scott said easily.

The two men sat in a booth at an upscale restaurant in Beverly Hills. Scott had breezed in from a few rounds of racquet ball at a fitness club and didn't look like he had tossed back one volley. He had ordered a full breakfast.

"Nothing much, just catching up on the news about my company."

Scott buttered his English muffin.

"Would you like to order," he said.

"I'm not hungry."

"We would have told you about the attempted takeover but no one could find you. You didn't even leave a forwarding address," Scott said.

"No I didn't."

"Everything worked out all right. The company's fine. It was never really in any danger."

"That's not what I heard," Matt said, "I'm flying out to the main office. Is there anything you'd like to talk about first?"

"The books are clean Matt,."

"I didn't ask about the books, Scott. But thanks for telling me."

"Is this about C.J.," Scott poured more orange juice into his glass from a pitcher on the table, "You think I know where she is?"

"Do you?"

Scott shook his head.

"No, I'm as much in the dark as you are Matt on that one," Scott said, " We had our disagreements on how the business should be run but we never quarreled. The three of us go way back after all."

"Yes we do," Matt said, "But she and I go back further."

"Meaning what, Matt?"

"Meaning that we're going to finish this discussion when I get back."

"Sure whatever you say," Scott said, "Are you sure you won't have breakfast before leaving town?"

Matt studied his partner, thinking of the years they had spent as friends all the way back to when they both played football in high school. All three of them had gone to the same university, where they went their separate ways on the huge campus even though they still hung out together during the intermissions between their busy schedules. Then Scott and C.J. had gone off to Harvard's law school while Matt had enlisted up to work in military intelligence. After he'd won the Heisman trophy, Scott had said that he could have signed with any NFL team in the country but to Matt, football had served as a means to an end to mostly please his father. He had taken that career as far as he wanted it to go. The sport had come easily to him being a natural athlete but he wanted to challenge himself to his limits. The military would do just that, he thought.

To this day, Scott still didn't seem to understand his friend's decision to leave his football days behind. But he was happy enough at Harvard where he, C.J. and her best friend Julia spent much of their time together not that they had much free time. At least during the first year.

When Julia dropped out of law school due to an illness during the summer, things between the remaining two of them seemed awfully chilly when Matt had come back home on leave. Still, Matt and Scott remained friends even as Scott transferred from Harvard to Yale for his final year for what he called a "change of scenery".

But if the mood had been chilly then, it turned downright icy between Scott and C.J. when the three hooked up together after Matt had left the service and started working at Houston Enterprises with his father. C.J. had been working with the public defender's office inspired by the time she had spent clerking with renowned defense attorney, F. Lee Bailey and Scott had put his undergraduate degree in accounting to good use. First at a major tax preparation firm, then coming to work for Matt. She had been polite to Scott most of the time when they all went out together but Matt had noticed she made excuses to avoid spending time with him.

Now some years later, Scott had elevated himself to a top position in Houston Enterprises at its regional office in Los Angeles after several years away in one of the European offices. As for C.J., she simply disappeared and Matt still had no idea where or why.

"Are you still here?"

Matt looked up at Scott who looked back with his eyebrows raised.

"I'll even buy this time," he offered. "You look like you could use a good meal."

"Maybe another time" Matt said, "I have to get going. I'll keep in touch."

--

Kelly entered the grocery store and found it empty, with a clerk sweeping the floor in the canned good section and Bonnie flipping through a magazine at the lone cash register. She grabbed a basket and started in the small produce section in the corner. At the ranch, Thea kept up a large garden but had finished canning or freezing most of the remaining vegetables several weeks before. Yams were one item that wasn't in the garden so Kelly took most of the remaining stock.

"Hey Kelly, leave some for the rest of us," Bonnie said, not looking up from her magazine.

"I'll try, but Thea's making her special dish tomorrow tonight and serving quite a crowd."

"Oh yeah, I think I snagged an invite to that affair," Bonnie said, "Will Jed be there?"

"...Of course," Kelly said, surprised, "At least I think so."

"Good," Bonnie said then lowered her voice, "I mean, I hope he reads some more of his poetry. You know, he travels out to Elko for that festival every single year. It's about the only traveling he does these days."

No, Kelly didn't know that Jed traveled hundreds of miles to a poetry reading festival for cowboys and ranchers in an Eastern Nevadan town that came alive that oneweek a year but it didn't surprise her.

She walked over to Bonnie right past the newspaper rack which carried the local weekly and a newspaper from the nearest major city about 100 miles away. She didn't look down at the headlines.

She thought if she didn't look, she wouldn't be reminded that life existed outside of the valley. That outside of the valley somewhere lived a man who she had deeply cared about more so than she could ever admit to anyone. Six months ago, he had left his life, the city and perhaps the country without telling her or anyone else for that matter where he was going. Things had been so tense after he had called off the wedding with a woman he had called the love of his life that everyone walked on egg shells around him. The women he loved didn't want his life and she knew better than anyone how much that hurt.

She understood that because she shared that with him. Their lives, both professionally and personally intertwined so much the more they spent them together like growing vines which become enjoined after time living in each other's company. They accepted each other for who they were even if others close to either one of them couldn't do the same at the right time.

Kelly shook off the memories which were about to return, which always did when she remembered her life just before the nightmare. Just because they passed in front of her eyes like home movies during her sleep didn't mean she had to think about them in the light of day.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Kelly said to the older woman who was already back into her magazine.

As she left, she looked down at her hands then slipped her gloves back on.

--

Matt left Scott in the restaurant and headed towards his car. If he hurried, he could take his helicopter to the airport to catch a flight out to Houston. He had texted Chris earlier that he was on his way as soon as he took care of some errands. In town for barely more than 24 hours and soon to be on his way out again but then again, he hardly spent any time in the same place the past six months. His bags had moved from his office suite to his beach house near Malibu where they sat in his bedroom still unpacked. It didn't matter. He didn't intend to spend much time in Texas.

His phone buzzed.

"Hello, this is Matt."

"Are you going to Texas," his uncle asked.

"Yes, in a couple of hours."

"I take it your conversation with Scott didn't go well."

Matt sighed.

"No it didn't. He's being too casual about an attempted takeover of the company I and my daddy built and didn't answer my questions."

"So do you think that Chris and Murray can shed some light," Roy said.

"I sure hope so though the trail might be cold by now. I don't know about Murray but I'm pretty sure that Chris has something to say. She just wants to say it there."

"You can't be too careful, Matt," Roy said, his voice somber, "I mean that for Chris and I mean it for you. I meant it for her too."

Matt looked around him, something had caught his eye and he saw what. Nearby, stood a man with a dark hat and nondescript features. Every profession he had ever worked required him to have an eye for detail but for the life of him, he couldn't place where he had seen this man before. But he knew he had.

"No you can't," he said. "I wish you trusted my judgment enough to tell me what you know about C.J."

Silence greeted him on the other end.

"Do you think I'm going to run off half-cocked and do something stupid?"

"No, I'd stop you from going to Texas if I were worried about that," Roy said, "Take care of yourself nephew."

Matt hung up and looked around him to see where the man had been standing but he was gone.

--

Kelly had one more stop to make before heading back to the ranch so she walked into the diner where some regulars were drinking coffee and eating grits and fried eggs at the counter. They paid her no mind as she headed towards the only pay phone in this section of the country still standing and plugged in some quarters she fished out of her pockets. After looking around for anything to worry about, she dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up on the other end. Someone who held her life and her secrets in their hands.

"Hello, who is this," that voice said.

"It's me."

"Are you okay," the voice on the other end sounded worried and Kelly felt a pang of guilt.

"I'm fine," she said. "How's it coming along? Have you heard from John?"

"I don't know and yes, I've heard from John, but there's something you've got to know C.J."

Hearing her name brought it all back but she kept everything at bay since the night she buried it, the visions, the sounds, the smells. Survival being the name of the game and that meant being someone else.

"What is it," she asked, warily.

"He's back."


	4. Chapter 4

Hi,

Here's the next installment, sorry it's been a while. Life's been busy. Thanks for the feedback!

--

Chris looked across the table at Matt who was trying to compose himself. Murray had walked out of the boardroom at Houston Enterprises' headquarters after a meeting where he had summarized the last six months of events impacting the corporation. Yes, someone attempted to take control of the company. Yes, they tried to steal funds through electronic channels. Yes, they disappeared without a trace, one step of both the federal and local authorities in two cities. No, they couldn't say anyone assisted the perpetrators from inside the company. Stock values had gone up six points in the last month, which Murray considered good news.

In other words, two hours of wasted time and energy that hadn't justified the flight out here. Not that Matt didn't appreciate what Murray and Chris had done to prevent the loss of control over his company or its considerable financial reserves but he wanted answers.

"Would you like a drink, Matt?"

He looked up at her and shook his head after thinking about it.

"The trail's gone cold, hasn't it?"

"I'm sorry, Matt," Chris said. "Whoever did it was way ahead of us."

"Maybe they had inside help."

"Who would help?"

Matt answered her question with one of his own.

"Did C.J. know what was going on?"

Chris looked up at him and nodded slowly.

"How much did she know?"

"She suspected someone in the company may have been responsible but that others might be involved, Chris said looking at Matt, "That's why we couldn't catch them. They were tipped off."

"Did she mention any names before she left?"

"She suspected Scott."

"Did she say why?"

"Nothing specific," Chris said carefully, "She figured it had to be someone who accessed the books regularly."

"Did he know she suspected him," Matt said.

"I don't think so. She never let on that she did. She got a phone call to meet someone but she wouldn't say who it was. That's the last time I ever saw her."

Chris put her head in her hands and Matt watched her face tear up. He reached his hand over to touch her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Matt."

Matt thought back towards the days between the canceled wedding and the day he packed up and left town without looking back. Nothing struck him as being any different but then he hadn't really been paying attention to anything besides his own wounded heart.

"It's my fault, Chris. I shouldn't have been so focused on myself."

"No Matt, your fiancée had just left you right after she'd been kidnapped. You had to deal with what happened."

"Roy said she called him from a pay phone?"

Chris looked up and then nodded.

"Once, about two weeks later. She didn't sound like herself at all. But she said she was fine and not to try and find her."

"Did she say where she'd been?"

"No, not much anyway."

Chris's cell phone rang. She looked at it.

"It's Dan," she said, referring to her long-time boyfriend who was a former police officer who now worked in security.

Matt thought about what to do next but realized that for now, he'd reached a dead end. He watched Chris talk to the man that she loved.

"Hey Matt, why don't we go out for a bite to eat?"

"I didn't make plans. I was going to bunk up at the old house until I could take a flight out tomorrow."

"No you're not, you're going to stay with us. It's too bad you missed Butterfly. She's visiting her grandmother."

"Butterfly, wasn't she the girl…"

Chris nodded.

"There's a lot of things you missed Matt and we can talk about them," she said, "but first we'll go meet Dan at the steakhouse and get some solid food."

Matt rode with Chris to the restaurant and watched as droplets from a passing shower streaked down the windshield. Chris turned on the windshield wipers and noticed something in the rear view mirror.

"Damn," she said.

Matt frowned, and looked behind them.

"What's wrong?"

"That black car behind us. It pulled out of the garage just when we did."

Something in Chris's voice told Matt that this wasn't the first time.

"Has anyone been following you," he asked.

"I don't think so. But I've seen a black car like this one before," Chris said, catching the look in his eye, "What, have you noticed anything suspicious?"

"Do the three point turn."

Chris did, deftly maneuvering her Mercedes Benz through each turn, before checking to see if the car still lurked behind her.

It did.

"Just keep driving," Matt said.

Chris sped the car up and the black car fell back to about four car lengths behind them.

"What is going on here," Chris said, giving the steering wheel a turn to enter onto a crowded street.

"I noticed a guy standing nearby several times in L.A. since I've been back. I think it's the same one."

"How could this be happening to both of us," Chris said, her eyes widening.

"I'm going to find out."

The car entered into the parking lot, where a valet walked up to the vehicle to park it for them. The black car continued on slowly down the street. Chris and Matt walked inside the noisy restaurant which usually had a healthy clientele though the night appeared to be winding down early. Chris waved to a tall, broad shouldered man sitting at a corner booth.

Dan got up to greet his girlfriend and Matt then stopped.

"What happened?"

"We might have been followed here," Chris said.

"I knew this was getting too dangerous," Dan said.

"Dan, it might be nothing."

"Don't tell me that. Someone tries to steal the company that you work for when the CEO leaves town. Your friend tries to find out what's going on and she disappears. Now you have people following you?"

Chris closed her eyes.

"Look, I'm hungry. Can we talk about this later?"

Outside, a man paced back and forth across the sidewalk for several minutes, then took out his cell phone and dialed.

--

He's back.

The words alone made her almost lose her composure on the phone but she pulled herself together with her mask back in place. The center must hold, she reminded herself as she hung the phone up. Back, still meant over a thousand miles away from the valley in Los Angeles.

"Hi Kelly, you okay," Stella, the head waitress said on her way to the kitchen.

"I'm fine, thanks," Kelly said and she left the diner.

Driving back to the ranch, Kelly kept her eyes to the road but her thoughts crept elsewhere. After six months, he had come back, was he looking for her? She wondered if he still looked the same or if like her, he didn't recognize himself when he looked in the mirror. Would he even recognize her, the best friend and right hand person he had left behind?

Surely he would, she told herself. After all, when she had crashed her car in the middle of some forsaken desert in Arizona and lost her memory, he had left everything to come looking for her only to find her incarcerated in a jail and being forced into prostitution along with the other female inmates. As her memory crept back and the fog that had surrounded her receded, he had held her in his arms and waited with her to find herself again. How safe she had felt there until the overload of sensations in her mind had receded.

This time, she thought she wanted to stay lost.

--

Matt sat on the couch in Chris and Dan's living room as Chris brought out a tray of coffee. Dan paced the room, running his hand through his hair as he had been since hearing the news that Chris and Matt had been followed to the restaurant by an unknown car. Driving back to the house, nothing suspicious was noted by anyone but all still felt on edge.

"Matt, you spoke with Scott correct," Dan said.

"He didn't say much. Didn't answer my questions."

"Chris, you said the books looked fine," Dan said.

"Is C.J. fine," Matt said, "Because no one seems to have an answer for that question either."

"Matt, she told Roy she was fine," Chris said.

"When exactly was that?"

Chris sighed.

"About five months ago."

--

Kelly remained deep in thought as she filled the hay nets for Sienna and the other horses who spent the night in the barn. She heard footsteps behind her, the kind made by a well worn pair of cowboy boots.

"Jed," she said without turning her head.

"How'd you know?"

"If you want to sneak up on someone, you'd better change aftershave."

Jed laughed.

"I was hoping for an escape," he said.

"From what," Kelly said, "You mean Bonnie?"

Bonnie had dropped by earlier to drop off some fixings for the shin-ding the following night and stayed to talk to Thea a while.

"She means well," Jed said, "But I'm set in my ways."

"She just likes you a lot. She loves your poetry."

Jed looked at her his eyes widening a bit but his ears turned pink which meant she got him there.

"I loved once," he said, "And that was enough to last my whole life."

Kelly studied him. His face showed he'd lived well but in his eyes, sadness had found its home with joy.

"Don't look at me like that. You don't think any woman would ever go for a guy like me?"

"No, actually I think you'd have to fight them off," Kelly said, "But Bonnie's not just any woman."

"Nooo I would say not…" he said, but he smiled, "What about you?"

Kelly shook her head and looked away.

"I wouldn't know anything about that," she said moving on to the next stall.

"Certainly you've loved, Kelly."

"Loved and lost," she said, "Several times around and back again. It doesn't fit my life."

"Your old life or your new one?"

Kelly smiled, but her eyes didn't.

"I can't always tell the two apart as much as I'd like to," she said.

"Maybe there's a reason for that."

"Maybe but it doesn't matter."

"It always matters, Kelly."

She looked at him.

"That part's over," she said, rubbing Sangria's nose. The old mare closed her eyes and neighed.

"If that's so, what will you do now?"

"I…

"Hey you two, there you are," Bonnie said as she walked up. "Thea thought you had wandered on out here."

Jed straightened his hat.

"Hi Bonnie, we were just finishing the horses."

"Yeah, sure. Trying to get out of finishing that story you were telling us earlier about the last mustang drive…"

Bonnie hooked her arm in his and Jed shrugged before walking off. Kelly thought she saw a blush tinge his cheeks then decided it must be the lighting.

Kelly stayed with Sangria for a while longer and thought about what Jed had said. She thought about what she had left behind, but she found herself thinking about how she got here. Each time she tried, her mind reached out further back.

She had called John first from a pay phone not too long after pulling herself out of the river. His voice dripped with sleep when he answered the phone until he heard her voice and then he sprang into action. And when she agreed to do what he told her, she knew then there would be no looking back.

--

Dan and Chris washed dishes in the kitchen. The silence grew like a chasm between them as it had during the past several months and he didn't know why. He looked at his girlfriend who was lost in her thoughts until a tear felt from her eye. He reached over and stroked the hair away from her eyes, the distance between them receding.

"What's the matter honey?"

She looked up at him for a while and he didn't think he'd get an answer.

"I'm worried that I made a promise to someone I'm not sure I can keep."

Dan hugged his girlfriend close.

Outside the kitchen window, the man watched and waited.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's the latest installment, once again borrowing from the great Aaron Spelling's characters for entertainment purposes only. Sorry it took awhile, but this is really been a lot of fun writing and a learning process at the same time.

Some years ago...

The three of them walked out of the lecture hall, laughing into the waning sunshine of a New England autumn.

"Hey, what did you think about that exam," Julia said, "Pretty tough."

C.J. shrugged.

"You thought it was easy?"

"She always aces these exams, "Scott said easily, "Has since the first term."

"No, she got an A- on the property final," Julia said, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up, "And somewhere, hell froze over."

C.J. looked at the both of them.

"I got a B+ on the Property final," she said, "And saved my money for futures on bikinis and Bermuda shorts."

Scott and Julia looked at her.

"A B plus, really," Julia said, as she threw up her arms and almost dropped her book bag, "How'd that happen?".

"Well, even The Brain can have an off day, sweetheart, "Scott said, putting his arm around Julia and pulling her close. They'd been going out since high school on and off. Now back on, but C.J. didn't think it would last. She watched Scott's eyes drift over Julia's shoulder towards a blonde dressed in a denim skirt and flowered blouse and sighed.

"You guys going to the party tonight?"

"I'll make an appearance," Scott said, "What about you C.J.?"

She thought about it and then shook her head.

"No, I have to work a shift at the Regency," she said, "They're going to be short tonight."

"Poor girl," Scott said, "All work and no play, what could be worse?"

"No work and no pay," C.J. said.

"Can't you get one night off," Julia said.

C.J. shook her head.

"I need the money. Besides, there's a new bartender coming in tonight. He's supposed to be good so time will go fast."

"Well, if he's so good, maybe we'll drop on by after the party," Scott said, putting his arm around both women.

Julia cut right to the chase.

"Is he cute? What's his name?"

C.J. looked up at her best friend who had tried to hook her up with every good-looking guy on the eastern seaboard but she knew what she wanted. She wanted to get her degree and use it to make a difference in the world. Like her parents would have wanted.

"I don't know. John I think."

--

Kelly hammered some nails in the fencing that had been knocked over, facilitating Frisco's forays into the mountains. The sun shone brightly, promising a beautiful day ahead. Perfect for Thea's latest shin-ding later in the evening. If winter were postponed for a bit longer, that was perfectly fine with everyone on the ranch.

She felt a nudge on her shoulder and warm breath against her face. Frisco had ambled up behind her while she was working. She stopped her work to rub his withers. Her mind had drifted off again to law school, back in the days when she and Julia had set out to conquer the world and have some fun, not necessarily in that order. They had planned to set up a law firm after graduation only life chose instead to put an end to those dreams. The memories came easier, much easier than those which were created much later. Time had mellowed even the difficult moments to be cherished since the emotions had long faded.

Julia's illness ended one set of plans for Kelly but had birthed others, which had enriched her life in ways she'd never regret. Even so, her life that she had worked so hard to build had shattered so quickly like the glass which had etched jagged lines in her hands. What was left, to pick up from the ashes?

Years ago, when Julia had told her about the cancer that would take her dreams and then her life, the two young women had cried together for a while and then dried their tears and went to a party to celebrate completing the first year of Harvard Law School. Julia built a life based on new dreams and outlived her doctor's prognosis and C.J. supported her friend through it all.

Cisco neighed, eying the fence.

"Cisco, I think this is going to spell news for you," she said, scratching his ears. Her broken wrist had healed and even in the cold mornings, it no longer pained her. She flexed her fingers and they felt fine. She had lost weight during the past few months, but ranch work had replaced it with muscle and she felt stronger in some ways than she had in years.

Suddenly, she heard hoof beats. Jed rode his horse up to where she was working and pulled up.

"Thea's made you some lunch," he reached into his saddle bag and pulled out a sack and a thermos of coffee.

"Thanks, Jed, " Kelly said, "I'm just finishing up here and Cisco's dropped by to lament the loss of his escape route."

Jed laughed.

"He'll find another weakness soon enough. Good work though."

"It's been more years than I want to remember since I last split fence," she said, "My uncle couldn't afford many ranch hands."

"It's honest work," Jed said, "So you lived with your uncle?"

Kelly nodded.

"After my parents died, he was the only surviving relative so I moved in with him." she said, "He was my dad's brother and I don't think he knew what he was getting himself into."

"You seemed to have turned out all right."

Kelly laughed.

"I was a work in progress," she said, "Lucky for me I had my uncle and some friends to help me out."

Her laughter softened as memories returned of the night of the party.

--

"C.J."

She looked up from her books, and note cards, flipping her hair back. Julia looked down at her, dressed in a black cocktail dress and heels.

"How do I look," Julia said, twirling around.

"Like you always do," C.J. said, "awesomely stylish."

Julia beamed and picked up a brush to tame her curls and put them up into a french twist above her nape.

"Thank you."

"For what," C.J. said.

"For saying that and knowing that's just a part of me," Julia said and sat on her bed.

"Doesn't Scott see that?"

Julia signed, her eyes clouding and she rubbed her arms. C.J. frowned, noting the bruise beneath her forearm.

"What's that?"

"What's what," Julia said, then rolled her eyes. "Oh it's nothing, just a bruise."

C.J. raised a brow.

"It looks pretty big, did you fall…," she asked, looking at Julia, "Did Scott…"

"No! Why would you even ask? I just bruise easily, that's all."

Now, Julia's words came back to her as she remembered, that Julia bruised easily in more ways than one.

"Are you okay, Kelly?" Jed asked.

Kelly nodded, as she returned to the present, her life now.The past needed to remain where it was, dead and buried.

--

Matt looked around as he and Chris left her house. Dan had left earlier that morning to meet with some prospective clients after warning both of them to be careful.

"Do you really think someone's been following us," Chris asked.

"Yeah I do. The questions are who and why."

"And you think this is related to the business," she said, "Not another one of your cases."

Matt nodded.

"There was definitely a guy following me in L.A. and that car didn't just come out of no where last night so they knew I was back in town. But they tried and failed to get the company. They should be crawling back underneath whatever rock they came from to keep from getting caught."

"Maybe they're going to regroup, try again?"

"I'm not sure the company's what they were really after," Matt said, "Maybe they did it to attract attention."

"Why?"

"I don't know," he said, perplexed, "What I do know is that they probably could have gotten the company if that's what they really wanted."

Matt's cell phone buzzed as they neared Chris' car.

"Uncle Roy, what's up?"

"That's why I called you nephew," Roy said on the other end, "Did you find out anything?"

"Not on this end. The company's doing fine, in fact it's profits are up. Whoever was responsible left no trace."

"Pretty damn smart or well heeled."

"Probably right, and enough of both to have both Chris me and probably you followed."

"You're being followed?"

"I was in L.A., Both Chris and I were followed from the office to a restaurant last night."

"Why didn't you tell me," Roy said.

"We didn't know, but now that we do. Have you noticed anything suspicious?"

Roy paused on the other end.

"There was some suspicious activity, months ago like someone was following Chris and me," he said, "But I haven't noticed anything lately."

"I don't think the company's what they were really after," Matt said, "I think they were trying to get me back into town."

"But you didn't know," Roy said, "You were out of.."

"Reach, I know. But they didn't know that."

"So what do you think they want?"

"I think they're trying to find C.J."

--

Kelly took off on Sienna towards the mountains after fixing the fence, to the corner of the ranch where she spent her free time. The sky still shone as deeply blue as the Caribbean, accentuated by only a smattering of clouds. She tied the mare to a tree that stood near the remnants of what had once been a barn and sat nearby, to eat the lunch that Thea had packed for her. Black parched wood, and barren fence posts surrounded her, but the air smelled clean of the soot which had pervaded this part of the valley for days after the big fire that had woken her from her slumber some months ago.

Wind rattled the few leaves left on the trees and Kelly breathed it in, thinking of the soiree later that night at the ranch house. In her old life, Kelly liked parties, smaller ones where she knew people much more than more formal events. Now, she preferred spending time with the fewer people the better until she felt stifled and needed to get away. Thea had invited mostly the local families in the ranching community and some other people like Bonnie who worked in Silver Lode. People that she had met since she first came to the valley. People who if they had questions kept them to themselves. She planned to mingle with the company, make small talk and then fade in the background.

While at law school, she had skipped most of the parties but Julia and Scott hit the circuit regularly. Between studying and working weekends at Regency to supplement her student loans, she didn't have the time for much else. Not that she complained, she loved immersing herself in her classes and Regency's reputation for attracting a diverse clientele kept work interesting. The customers tipped well and except for an occasionally rowdy drunk, they treated the waitresses well. After Julia had left the apartment to meet Scott before the party, C.J. picked up her index cards on tax law and worked on them. Her shift at Regency didn't start for another hour and it was a short drive, which didn't leave her any time to highlight the voluminous court cases for next week.

She picked up a postcard from the corner of her desk she'd received that day. On the back of the snow-capped Mt. Fuji, Matt wrote about his latest leave in Tokyo and his favorite restaurant that he frequented. He was halfway through his first military tour and enjoying his assignment in military intelligence and recognizance, believing that his work helped keep the soldiers safer. It was great to be part of a team, apart from athletics and he was thinking about reenlisting. C.J. worried for his safety even though most of the time he saw little combat. His job was to minimize the casualties of those who did and he did that well.

The phone rang and she went to answer it.

"Hi, this is C.J."

"Hi girl, you're still home?"

It was Julia and C.J. could hear music in the background.

"I was just about to get ready for work."

"Missing a hell of a party," Julia said.

"Won't be the first time," C.J. sighed, "Who's there?"

"The usual crew, but Scott's brought some new friends. He introduced them to me."

"Who are they? Are they classmates?"

"Yeah, but not in our classes. One of them's kind of cute. He's from South America. Father's in shipping."

"Strange we've never met them," C.J. mused, "Oh, I heard from Matt. He's doing fine."

"Still going to reenlist?"

Like Scott, Julia include herself on the list of people that thought Matt should have played professional football.

"He's thinking about it," C.J. said, "Look, I got to run. New bartender to break in and all that."

Julia laughed.

"That's one way to put it."

C.J.'s face flushed.

"That's not I meant and you know it. He's just new."

"Yeah, okay... Take care."

C.J. hung the phone up and began to get ready for a night of waitressing, but found her mind wondering what John, the new bartender looked like.

As Kelly sat years later and hundreds of miles away in the valley, she thought Jonathan had been great looking indeed but had proven himself to be an even better friend.

--

"Who's that, " Chris asked Matt about the man that she noticed had been walking behind them for a while as they walked back to her office in the corporate headquarters building to pick up some files. Matt looked at the man, who was just over six-feet tall, husky built in black pants and a black muscle shirt. He didn't know if it was the same guy he'd seen following him back in L.A. He didn't know if that man had been behind the wheel of the car that tailed them last night, over a 1,000 miles away from L.A. What he did know, was he didn't like being followed.

"I think it's time to ask our gentleman friend some questions," he said.

Chris stopped and turned around to face him.

"I don't know if that's a good idea Matt. He might be dangerous."

"I'm counting on it."

"What," Chris said, "Are you crazy? Didn't you hear what Dan said?"

"I did," Matt said, "but I've been followed by men in two cities since I got back into town a couple days ago and I want to know why."

"Maybe if we call Dan..."

"He's in a meeting way across the city," Matt said and looked at his worried friend, resting his hand on her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Matt left Chris and began walking across the plaza where the man stood watching them. He figured either these surveillance guys had to be incompetent or it was part of some plan for him to know they were always one step behind him. Or more likely, one step ahead of him, anticipating his moves. One of his hands rested on his waist where he kept his Glock handgun, a necessity for a multi-millionaire businessman who had traveled world-wide and now worked as a private detective. The man saw him and as Matt figured he would, sprinted away from his approach. Matt sighed, and took off after him. The two men ran through the plaza, onto a side street lined with store fronts. Fortunately, not many pedestrians stood in Matt's path as he tried to close on the man running in front of him, who must have pulled on a pair of jet roller skates. Still, Matt kept himself in great physical shape precisely for situations like this one. He stepped his running up a notch, thinking the whole time that if he missed his opportunity to catch this mysterious man, he missed his chance to find out what the hell was going on. And he might not get another one.

"Hey, watch where you're going," a motorist yelled from his vehicle, as he narrowly missed hitting Matt as both men sprinted across the red light to reach the side of the street lined with businesses and to Matt's dismay, several alleys. His year's spent in Houston familiarized him to this section of town and he wasn't sure the man he pursued shared the same advantage. He would find out soon enough.

Sure enough, the man quickly turned down one of the alleys. The one which dead-ended after about half a block with a chain link fence, with buildings lining it on both sides. Matt followed, slowing down slightly in case the man suddenly spun around and changed his direction of flight. The man reached the end, sized up the fence, then stopped. He reached for his waist for a weapon Matt knew rested there.

"Hold it," Matt also stopped and pulled his Glock on the man, not allowing him that chance.

The man hesitated.

"I'd think about it. My daddy taught me how to shoot when I was knee-high and he taught me never to miss."

The man stopped, but stared at him, defiant. Matt kept his aim steady, ready for any sudden move he might even think of making.

"Go ahead and shoot me and you'll never know what happened to her."

"Who sent you," Matt said, "Who are you working for?"

"He's got people everywhere, Mr. Houston. Like the heads of a hydra. You chop one off, another five will grow in its place."

"Yeah right," Matt said, "But you still haven't told me who you work for."

"And I won't unless you lower your gun."

Matt didn't.

"I don't think you're in the position to make any deals, seeing as I'm holding the gun."

"You think I'm worried about your gun," the man said, "It's you that should be worried."

"What happened to C.J?"

"She's got something they want. They want it back."

"Where is she," Matt said.

"Getting closer to being found," the man said, "And she will be."

At that, a police car turned down the alley and the man turned around and leaped on the fence, climbing over its top then dropping down on the other side. He gave one parting look at Matt then took off running. Two officers jumped out of the squad car, weapons drawn."

"Drop the gun," one of them said. Matt did and put his hands up, his back to them, watching as the mystery man turned a corner and disappeared.

--

Jed returned to his bedroom, placing his coat on the worn chair after a hard day's work. He walked to his dresser, opening the top drawer. He pushed some socks aside to where the shiny handle of his Glock 40 rested. He ignored it and reached instead for the CD pulling it out to nestle it in his callused hand and looking at it thoughtfully. Covered with soggy leaves the day he'd found it, it had dried with a fine coating of the red clay found in one river. On it, the eyes of a strange looking creature with the head of a lion, wings of a bird and the tail of a snake stared back at him.

_Chimera_.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi! Sorry it's been so long but I've been busy and I'm still mapping out my story. It's been a lot of fun! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter.

Chapter Six

* * *

"I told you, I have a permit for the gun," Matt said, "Besides this is Texas after all."

Dan raised his hand.

"Maybe I should handle this."

Two plain-clothed detectives standing in the interrogation room with their arms crossed looked at each other.

"Mr. Houston was chasing after a man who'd been following him and my girlfriend since yesterday," Dan said. "He had some questions for him."

The taller detective with salt and pepper hair raised an eyebrow.

"What kind of questions does a man ask from behind the barrel of a gun," he said.

Matt and Dan looked at each other.

"He made a furtive movement," Matt said, "I thought he might be pulling a gun on me."

"Did he pull any weapon?"

"No, but then I wasn't about to let him."

"We've read the newspapers about the attempts made against your company. The feds came to talk with us a while back," the shorter detective with short red hair said, "Do you have any reason to think this is related?"

"Possibly, that's what I was trying to find out."

"Possibly Mr. Houston," the taller detective leaned forward, "Are you sure you can't do better than that?"

"I didn't have enough time with him," Houston sighed.

"Right," the shorter detective said, "Okay my partner and I have to check some records. We'll be right back."

The two men left the room and Matt and Dan stared at each other. They knew better than to say anything realizing that the detectives probably had wired the interrogation room.

* * *

Kelly chopped up onions for the roasted potato dish while Thea prepped the T-bloned steaks in the kitchen. A couple of hours from now until valley residents packed the house from wall to wall.

"Bonnie will be bringing over some pies so there's no need to worry about dessert."

"I love her apple," Kelly said, picking up another onion, "She really should market it."

"She'd just be bringing over the biggest pies for Jed," Thea said, "She's sure sweet on him."

"I think he likes her too."

"Yeah, there's a lot worse things that could happen than the two of them hooking up," Thea rubbed her forehead, "Jed's had a hard life filled with more heart break than one man should be allowed."

"Was he always a ranch hand?"

"He used to be a cop."

Kelly looked up, startled.

"Yeah, it's true. He worked for a large police agency on the East Coast. Doesn't talk about it very much. His wife died out there."

"He mentioned her," Kelly said, "Sounds like he really misses her."

"Yes…," Thea paused, in thought, "Well it looks like there's enough steaks to feed the whole valley. You never know when you extend an invitation, who's going to show up."

Kelly watched Thea as she walked away. No, you never really could tell who would show up to a party.

* * *

The two detectives returned to the interrogation room where Matt and Dan sat waiting.

"Okay, you are free to go," the taller one said, "There's nothing to hold you on. Just be careful in the future where you draw your weapon."

"Sure thing," Matt said, not being able to get out of the police department fast enough.

Chris met them in the hallway, her eyes worried. She had called Dan after Matt had used his phone call to contact her.

"Don't start Dan," Matt said, raising his hand.

"I wasn't going to Matt. I understand why you didn't want to tell them anything . What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. A man who's been following Chris and me just told me that "they" who he works for are looking for C.J."

"The man said that she had something that belonged to them?" Dan said, "Did he say what it was?"

"No he didn't say what it was," Matt said, "Like I told the gentlemen back there, it wasn't a very long conversation."

"This is crazy, Matt," Chris said, her eyes wide, "He could have shot you."

"But he didn't, Chris." Matt said, "I'm right here."

"Do you have any idea who this guy was or who he works for," Matt said as they left the police headquarters.

"No, I don't. I never saw him in my life before I came to Texas," Matt said, then stopped.

"What is it," both Dan and Chris asked simultaneously.

"He had a tattoo," Matt said, "I couldn't get a good look at it though."

"Well, that's a start," Dan said, as they reached their cars, "Look I got to head back to the meeting but I'll see you later."

He kissed Chris goodbye and left them.

"Matt, are you all right?"

"No I'm not. But I'm not the one in trouble."

"I don't see anyone following us."

Matt looked around and saw just people going about their own business, the usual morning activities in downtown Houston.

"I think they stepped away for now, but they'll be back."

* * *

Jed stood by the kitchen talking on the phone, while Kelly and Thea worked in the kitchen. He'd put in a lot of work that morning checking the horses. They'd been antsy during the night, into the morning and he thought that Diablo Del Sol might have come down from the mountain and dropped by to visit again.

"So you're coming in tonight," Jed said, "Sounds like you've been busy. Look forward to catching up on what's going on….Yeah…Goodbye."

Kelly walked up to Jed who hung up the phone . She smiled and handed him a plate of roasted potatoes.

"Thanks," Jed said, "Thea's skills with potatoes are unmatched in the valley."

"They're great after a long ride," Kelly said, "Was that Bonnie on the phone?"

Jed looked at her then looked away.

"No…No it wasn't Bonnie…just someone we do business with…"

"I heard she's bringing her apple pie."

"Yeah, probably is," Jed said, sighing, "It's not bad. She's a good cook."

"She's nice," Kelly said, "She's made me feel so welcome here since I came."

"That she is," he agreed, "It's a special gift a person has to make someone else feel welcome just by their presence."

**Some years ago…**

"I'm sorry I'm so late…the traffic," C.J. rushed in the restaurant and threw her coat over the rack in the break room.

"No worries girl," Bunny said, "I covered for you."

"It looks crowded. "

Bunny shrugged.

"The better the tips," she said, shrugging, "You better get changed. It's show time."

C.J. signed as she went to her locker and pulled out her waitress outfit. Short red dress adorned with too much glitter just above the knees with a tacky hat to match. Whoever envisioned that dressing up waitresses like flappers in the 1920s needed to have their heads examined. Still, the Regency was one of the hottest restaurants in Boston and the tips were usually great. Still, the outfit itched terribly.

Pulling her dress over her hips, she thought of the party that Julia and Scott were at, wondering how much they were having. She wished she had a life outside of law school and work, thinking she was crazy to even think of adding law review to the mix second year. But she loved law school so much, she couldn't get enough of it. A little more than two years…

"Hey you sheila, get a move on," Bunny walked back in the cramped room, "Look at me, I forgot my hat."

"How's the crowd tonight," C.J. said, pinning the hat to her head, carefully placing her curls underneath it.

"Old," Bunny sighed, brushing her hair, "A couple of cute prospects."

C.J. laughed.

"You sound just like Julia."

"A girl's got to keep her options open, love," Bunny said, "We can't all grow up and be lawyers."

"That's all I've always wanted to be."

"What about your bloke, you do have one, don't you," Bunny said. "You like guys, right?"

"Of course I do. I don't have time for a boyfriend."

"When you check out the new bartender," Bunny said, leaving, "You might want to make time."

"Hey you, what's going on"

Kelly looked up, her daydream receding.

"Bunny?"

"No, it's me," Bonnie said, "Are you okay?"

Kelly nodded. Bonnie stood in the hallway, her hands holding onto boxes of pies.

"I came over early to drop these off. Thea's called the airport and the plane's late on account of fog."

"Plane?"

"Didn't you know? Thea's son's flying in here on his plane all the way from D.C.," Bonnie said, "He's going to miss most of the party."

Jonathon.

"Are you sure you're okay," Bonnie said, her eyes crinkling.

Kelly swallowed, then nodded.

C.J. spent her first two hours at work doing what she usually did, running from table to table carrying plates filled with entrees so she didn't see him at first.

"Miss, I ordered the veal,"

C.J. looked down at the salmon mousse and endive salad she had placed in front of an elderly woman.

"I'm so sorry," she said removing the food and balancing it back on top of a sirloin steak and baked potato plate.

The woman put her hand on C.J.'s and looked closely at her.

"Nothing to worry about, dear. A girl as pretty as you, you'll find yourself a man to take care of you."

C.J. smiled and left the table, dropping off the steak in front of a middle-aged man who had been giving her the eye and beckoning to her for the past hour with his jewel clad fingers.

"Hey, sugar stay here a second," the man said, reaching out to grab her arm.

She extricated herself from his reach.

" Sorry, you can't touch the outfit or else you got to pay for it."

She walked towards the kitchen and pushed the door open, hitting something.

"Damn," a male voice yelled from the other side and C.J. heard the unmistakable sound of glassware shattering.

"I'm so sorry," she said, entering and suddenly being grabbed by a tall man with dark hair and an earring.

"Be careful, there's glass," he guided her to the side away from the worst of it.

"I wasn't looking, it's my fault," she said.

"No problem, it's my first day. I haven't been paid. I'll wash some dishes and pay it off."

"I'll pay for the damage," C.J. said, "I've collected a few paychecks."

"I'm kidding," the man said. "Besides everyone knows bartenders make the best tips and I'm the best bartender around so I'll be rolling in money before the last shot is poured."

She looked at him closer. Like Bunny had said, he was gorgeous. Tall, built like a baseball player with dark brown hair which curled above his collar and yes indeed, one gold earring.

"You're Jonathon."

"Yes, I answer to that," he said smiling, "And you're…"

"C.J."

He reached out his hand and took hers, shaking.

"Nice to meet you, C.J," Jonathon cleared his throat, "You come around here often."

"Only when I need money," she smiled and for the first time that night she felt it.

* * *

Matt sighed as he and Chris sat at the restaurant, their steaks sitting in front of them.

"So what are you propose we do next," she asked.

"I'm going to stop and talk to some folks who might know something about our friend," Matt said, "As for you, you're going to go back home to your boyfriend who's crazy in love with you."

"If C.J.'s in trouble, then I'm going with you," Chris said, her chin set firmly, "I care about her too."

"I know you do, Chris," Matt said, "But this could get dangerous."

"I know," she said. "I also know that working for you these years, I have been spending a lot of time worrying about you two and feeling absolutely helpless to do anything about it."

"I let C.J. in too much, Chris," Matt said, "If I hadn't, this wouldn't have happened."

Chris reached out and took his hand in hers.

"You don't know that," she said, "How do you know this isn't someone in her past?"

Matt thought for a moment.

"You're right. It could be anyone. We both made a lot of enemies over the years."

"You both made many more friends," Chris said, "And maybe you need to start leaning on them more. "

Matt looked at her and Chris knew it was hard for him to ever lean on anybody.

"Look, I came here years ago looking for a job, not knowing what the hell I was doing in L.A. I didn't know anyone. I was just a farm girl who thought she knew everything and you two gave me a chance to prove myself. I'll never forget that."

He started to say something.

"Please, let me help you," she said before he could get a word out.

* * *

The party lived up to its anticipation, as a crowd of revelers spilled out into the back patio despite the chill in the air. Steaks grilled on the barbeque and Thea's roasted potatoes and grilled onion dish satisfied many a palate. Bonnie hooked her arm around Jed and never let him out of her sight and several local men who moonlighted as musicians strummed up some tunes while couples danced to them.

"Did you get enough to eat,"

Kelly looked up from where she sat just outside the backdoor, watching the empty paddock.

"I'm full," she said, "Thanks."

"Would you like some of Bonnie's apple pie?"

"Maybe in a little while."

She had mingled for a while with the guests, exchanging greetings and light conversation but then retreated into her thoughts.

Jonathon was coming here. Thea had gotten off the phone and said there was a delay before his plane could land but that he would be here in time for dessert. She shivered, as she remembered the time they had met. Then she pushed the memories back, to keep the flood from coming.

Then another memory hit her, sharp in its tactile nature. A soft breeze hit her cheek as she stood outside the penthouse suite of a tall office building, with a helicopter parked nearby looking down at the lights of traffic below. She was dressed in white, her hair combed and drawn back from her face as if she were at a party. And she was, a party held to welcome her awakening from a nightmare but still, she stayed outside the gaiety until a man joined her.

Matt.

He came outside looking for the guest of honor and found her standing forlorn. When he asked her what was wrong, she told him that her experience locked up in a jail in some god-forsaken town in Arizona had left her changed. He didn't ask her how for which she was grateful and he understood when she worried about the women she'd left behind after Matt had helped them save themselves from their captors. He had realized that in the most dangerous situations, women needed to do their own rescuing.

He listened, then he looked at her and spoke softly.

" Let's fix the world tomorrow. Why don't you allow your friends to show you how glad they are that you're back?"

She looked at him, slowly nodded before they embraced and he took her arm in his and walked with her inside the building.

She smiled and for the first time in a while, she felt it.

* * *

Matt had just paid the check on the meal when his cell phone rang.

"Hello,"

"Matt, where are you?"

"Still in Houston," he said, "What's up Hoyt? Did you hear anything?"

"Why else would I be calling?"

"What's going on," Matt said, squeezing the phone in his hand.

"I don't know how to say this, but they found a body. Up off the coast of Washington."

"So?"

"It washed up on the shore two weeks ago inside a sealed crate. Not much left of it. This person died months ago."

"Murdered?"

"It's too soon to tell, but he was dead before he got inside the crate."

"He?"

"Skull and pelvic bones indicate a adult male. No cause of death has been determined by the coroner."

"So how'd you find out about it," Matt said, "L.A.'s a little off the beaten path from Washington."

Matt heard Hoyt pause on the other end.

"They do have an I.D. They ran dental and DNA and found something through prison records."

"Who was it?"

"Seymour Piser."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Here's the next installment. Thanks so much for the feedback! I really appreciate it.

* * *

"Houston, you still there," Hoyt said.

"Yeah Hoyt…Are you sure it's Semour Piser?"

"You sound like you know him," Hoyt said, "Is this going to be a good or bad conversation?"

"He is…was a former board of corrections member in Arizona who ran a prostitution ring on the side using women locked up in a county facility."

"Wait a minute Houston, are you telling me…"

"Yes I am," Matt said, "C.J. crossed paths with these thugs when she got amnesia on the way to New Mexico about two years ago."

Hoyt paused.

"She testified at the trial, didn't she?"

"She and two dozen other women who didn't end up buried out in the desert."

"Piser and Sheriff Butz, they went to prison didn't they?"

"I thought they did," Matt said, "But if that's the case then why 's Semour lying dead in a morgue up in Washington?

"Look Houston, I'll call Arizona and find out what the story is and get back to you."

"They'd better have a damn good explanation why Piser's been running around free."

"Matt...let me handle this," Hoyt said, "Even if for some reason Arizona did release him, it might not have anything to do with what's happened to C.J."

"We don't even know what's happened to her or where she is," Matt said, "I'm, just hoping that any chance we had of finding her didn't die with Piser."

* * *

"C.J.,"

She froze, until she recognized the voice as Jonathon's. She almost walked over to embrace him but stopped.

"Don't call me that."

"Okay…."

"How was your flight," she asked, not turning around.

"Bumpy. The air's always choppy this time of year."

She nodded.

"How've you been doing," Jonathon said.

"Fine," Kelly said, wrapping her arms around her," Your mom's been really good to me these past months."

"She loves you like a daughter."

"Jonathon…"

He sighed, running his hand through his buzz cut hair.

"You're right, this isn't a social call."

She turned around to face him. He stood in front of her, still tall, still handsome.

"I didn't think so."

"Semour Piser was fished out of the ocean in Washington state. You remember him?"

"Yes," she said, crossing her arms and looking up at him, "Every day."

"You don't sound surprised," Jonathon said.

"How'd he die?"

"The coroner couldn't determine a cause or time of death because of the decomposition, exposure to salt water, but he's probably been dead at least four or five months."

Kelly sighed then looked away, back at the empty corral.

"So what are you thinking," Jonathon said,

" I'd say he got what he deserved."

"Deserved? I don't think we've had this conversation yet."

"There's nothing to say."

"There's plenty to say," Jonathon said, " A man who abused you two years ago is dead. Do you know anything about what happened to him?"

"Why does it matter," Kelly asked, "It's not going to bring him back."

"What has happened to you," he said, grabbing her arm and turned her around to face him.

She yanked her arm away then punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

"Which person are you talking to," Kelly said, then walked away.

* * *

"Was that Hoyt," Chris asked as they left the restaurant.

"Yeah, he called to tell me Semour Pisar showed up dead a thousand miles away from where he was supposed to be incarcerated."

Chris stopped walking.

"Wait, that creep who was part of that prostitution ring that kidnapped C.J.," she said, "I thought…"

"So did I. Hoyt's calling to find out what happened to get him released about 20 years early."

"What about the other guy, that sheriff?"

"It looks like he's still locked up where he belongs."

"So what now," Chris said, as they headed to the car.

"I'm going to find and talk to some of Semour's former victims."

* * *

Thea placed the ice pack on her son's eye. He sat at the breakfast table just off the kitchen.

"Ouch," Jonathon said, pushing it away from him.

"Don't you start, if you don't put this on your eye for 20 minutes, it will be swollen shut tomorrow."

"I can't believe she hit me."

"I'd be surprised if she didn't."

"Here, I'll do it," Jonathon said, taking the ice pack, "What does that mean?"

"You grabbed her, John," Thea said, joining him at the table, "She reacted."

Jonathon paused, gingerly placing the pack on his swollen eye.

"John, she's been through a lot in the past six months. Not the least is having to hide out here with strangers pretending to be someone she's not just to stay alive."

"It's just temporary."

Thea sighed, shaking her head.

"That's easy for you to say. Harder for her to live with."

"It's just a while longer," Jonathon said, "We've got to nail these guys. I think we're close."

"That's what you said before Piser's body was found," Thea said, pouring some coffee, "Now you're back at square one."

"I think she knows who killed him."

"Maybe," Thea said, "But does that really change anything?"

"What do you mean," Jonathon said.

"She had a life she loved taken from her. People she loved she might never see again," Thea said sipping her coffee, " It doesn't matter if you catch the guys who are responsible if they've already taken so much."

"If she tries to go back to her life now, she won't live to see the sun rise again."

"If you're not careful," Thea said, "She might just take that risk or worse, she might run even further away."

* * *

"Fran and Rhonda might be working at the crisis center today," Chris said as they drove down the highway, "I think one of them works nights though Fran's started working towards her MSW degree.

"If it weren't for her background, she'd make an excellent cop."

"She loves working with the women who come through the center too much," Chris said.

"I'll start with them tomorrow morning"

"What are you hoping to find out?"

"If Piser was given a "get out of jail free card", then it might lead to who really pull the strings with the prostitution ring in Bannon County."

"I thought the investigation didn't find anything beyond him and Sheriff Bunz," Chris said.

"I think they were so embarrassed by the scandal that they didn't look very hard," Matt said, "Besides, it was an election year."

"Maybe Dan can help find the others," Chris offered.

"First, he might need to find some guards to put on Fran and Rhonda."

"You don't think these women are in danger do you?"

"They might be," Matt said, "If Semour's killer come looking for any living witnesses to his escapades in Bannon County. We'll know more when we talk to them"

* * *

Kelly sat in the darkness of the kitchen with only the hum of the refrigerator to soothe her. She nursed some chamomile tea not hearing Thea shuffle in behind her.

"Hi, I thought I'd get another piece of Bonnie's pie, if I can find one."

"I think there's one left," Kelly said, and sipped her drink.

Thea brought her pie to the table, nestled in a scoop of butter pecan ice cream.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kelly shook her head.

"Jonathon is really sorry about what happened tonight."

"I know," Kelly said, "I'm sorry too."

"He said you have quite a left hook."

Kelly looked at her hands, then put them underneath the table where she didn't have to see them.

"It's reflexes hon, that's all. You thought for a split second he was someone else."

Kelly nodded, slowly.

"Yeah I did," she said, "but I still shouldn't have hit him. He…you both have done so much for me."

"You've done a lot of good work here," Thea took Kelly's hand in her own, "If you ever give up law, you'd make a hell of a rancher."

"I only ever wanted to be a lawyer," Kelly said, "My whole life. My father was a judge before he died when I was a little girl. Now…"

"You'll be one again," Thea said, "You have to have faith in my son and in yourself."

"I don't know if I could ever go back to who I was even if I found her," Kelly said, "I've done some things I don't think anyone would ever understand."

Thea squeezed her hand.

"Hey listen to me, you did what you had to do to survive and get away," she said, "No one who loves you would ever hold that against you."

* * *

Dan paced the living room.

"I don't like this one bit."

"We're just going to talk to some of the girls who were victimized by Piser's gang," Chris said, "You've met Fran and Rhonda."

"Somebody out there killed Piser," Dan said, "C.J.'s missing and we don't know who will be hurt or killed next."

"Exactly my point," Matt said, "C.J.'s out there somewhere and we might be running out of time."

"We don't know where to start," Dan said, his jaw set, "I think the authorities should take the lead on this before anyone else gets hurt."

"The authorities have been on this case for months and I haven't heard anything from them."

Chris and Dan looked at each other. He shook his head slightly.

"Okay, you win Matt," Dan said, "I'll put a security detail on the two ladies tomorrow and you two can find out what they know about Piser."

"We'll be careful Dan," Chris said, wrapping her arm around his, "We need to find out if they have any useful information."

"Thanks Dan," Matt said.

* * *

Kelly laid back in her bed, thinking back to what Thea had told her. She pulled the blanket up closer to her and allowed her thoughts to wander, like the flickers of light that bounced and reflected off the ceiling.

_"No one who loves you would ever hold that against you."_

Those words made her think of him, when during the days it was too painful.

Matt.

Was he looking for her right now? What was he thinking? She knew she had to stay away from him and her life. A woman who only six months ago had worked as a successful attorney but now, someone with a million and a half dollar bounty on her head, as long as she were captured alive. They would kill anyone who stood in their way including her best friend.

Tears welled in her eyes in the silence of darkness, the only safe place for them. Then she wiped her face dry, knowing that she could never go back to her old life.

"What are you doing here by yourself?"

C.J. looked up and saw him standing tall, her very best friend in this world.

"Getting some fresh air," she said, from where she sat on the steps outside the club.

"At your own party," he said, sitting down beside her, "That's not like you."

"You look good. The uniform suits you," C.J. said, changing the subject.

He looked straight at her.

"You look like you just lost your best friend."

Damn him for always getting straight to the point, no matter what wall she threw up. They knew each other too well for too long. Neither could hide anything from the other.

"Something like that," C.J. said.

Only it was worse because she found out her best friend, Julia had cancer, only hours before attending the gala thrown by their families to celebrate them surviving their first year of Harvard School of Law. After telling her friend, Julia said tonight was no time for tears, only having fun. Julia never focused on the hard times, just looking for the next good time. C.J. envied her that but hid her own tears for her friend's benefit. It had been a rough month for the both of them.

"Julia's having fun," Matt said, "I don't see Scott around."

"They broke up last month."

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe it's just a short break."

C.J. shook her head.

"No, this time it's forever," she said, "Besides he's transferring to Yale's law school and moving on."

"Forever's an awfully long time, C.J. for anyone."

"Sometimes, it's not long enough," she said looking up at him, "And sometimes you can be so wrong about people, just when you think you're right."

Matt looked at her more closely, his eyes narrowing.

"What does that mean," he asked.

C.J. looked at him, then shook her head.

"I want to get out of here," C.J. said, getting up, brushing off her gown.

"Would you like some company?"

She smiled and took his hand.

"Mel's diner isn't too far away," Matt said, "They have an amazing omelet shaped like the state of Texas and Austin's a jalapeño."

C.J. laughed , almost stumbling. He caught her. Their eyes met and held. Then he coughed and wrapped his arm around her as they continued walking.

"Did you bring your bike," she asked, "or are we walking."

The two walked down the rose-lined pathway to the parking lot, the din of the party fading behind them. Then darkness fell, the crickets hushed.

Suddenly, C.J. found herself alone running down an endless hallway. Her heart drumming in her ears.

"Where'd she go," a man yelled from somewhere behind her.

"Don't matter, she won't escape," another man responded, "No one ever has."

C.J. ran, but felt dizzy, her vision clouding. Her hand gripped the disk, which she shoved in her pants without even stopping. Her other hand throbbed, broken at the wrist. She left a trail of blood behind her, like a trail of pebbles.

She came to a crossroads, three hallways all looking identical. She looked at each one, seconds elapsing inside her head and the voices growing closer. She chose the middle hallway and picked up her pace, though she barely saw one step ahead of her.

"We can't let her get away!"

In front of her, stood a closed door. Was it locked or not? She would soon find out. The lady or the tiger.

Suddenly, in front of her stood Piser.

No it can't be, she screamed inside her head, You're supposed to be dead.

Then his head turned into that of a lion, roaring at her, whipping its tail around. Only instead reared the head of a snake poised to strike. She raised her arms to shield herself.

She woke with a start, sweat dripping down her face, frantically looking around her in the darkness. She lay back, breathing hard as if she'd ran a marathon. Her shirt damp on her chest, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall.

* * *

Matt woke with a start, to a sound that sounded like fireworks going off. He grabbed his gun and jumped out of bed. In the hallway, he met Dan who was also armed with an alarmed Chris trailing behind him. They found it in the living room, beneath a broken window. It looked a pipe bomb attached to an electronic clock winding down to the final several seconds.

They waited for the explosion that didn't come, as the digital reading on the clock ticked down to zero. Matt approached it gingerly.

"No, it could go off," Dan shouted, "We need to get out of here."

Matt looked down at what he thought would blow them all out of Texas and saw a note attached. He squatted down to get a closer look.

"The next time, you'll be dead and so will she."


	8. Chapter 8

Hi, another chapter up! Thanks so much for the feedback. It helps a lot. Again, I'm borrowing the characters of the late great Aaron Spelling for entertainment only.

Dedicated in memory to my Sunday school teacher,

Mary Wickes (June 13, 1910-Oct. 22, 1995)

"Nellie", _Wanted Man, Pt. 2_

_

* * *

  
_

Chapter 8

Police officers wrapped crime scene tape around Chris and Dan's living room, where the faux pipe bomb still lay with its warning attached. A detective sat with Chris on a sofa while Dan stood nearby talking on his cell phone.

Sunshine filtered through the closed blinds and Matt looked at his watch. 6 a.m. His own cell phone rang.

"Uncle Roy, what did you find out?"

Roy sounded angry at him.

"That my favorite nephew and friends were nearly blown up along by a pipe bomb."

"I'm your only nephew," Matt said, "and everyone's doing fine here".

"What the hell's going on?"

"Nothing happened," Matt said, "It was a fake, a pretty strong sign that we're getting closer."

"Closer to getting killed, if you're not careful."

"If they wanted us dead, they could have done it," Matt said.

"What do the police say?"

"The police are here investigating and Chris and I are going out to talk to some of the women who were associated with Piser when he was alive."

"Piser, he's the one whose body washed up on shore special delivery by an unknown sender," Roy said.

Matt grimaced. His uncle always had a salient way of putting things, no matter how gruesome.

"Hoyt's checking with Arizona State Corrections to see how Piser wound up being released."

"Do you want me to come out," Roy said, "I could be on the next plane."

"No, we're fine Uncle Roy," Matt said, "Besides I need you to keep a close eye on our friend Scott."

"He's been in and out of the office a lot. Asking when you're coming back."

"What'd you tell him?"

"That you're still in Houston on business," Roy said.

"Good, just keep telling him that," Matt said, "It's important that he think it's business as usual until I get back."

"When will that be?"

"I'm not sure. There's still some ladies I have to talk to here first to find out what they know about Piser and any connections he had."

* * *

Kelly chirped to Sienna and the mare pricked her ears as they headed back to where Kelly had been repairing fences the previous day. Behind them, Jonathon rode a bay gelding and watching him struggle with the reins, Kelly smiled.

"I thought you were born on a horse," she said, looking behind her to make sure he hadn't fallen off.

"So I've been told, but that was years ago," Jonathon said, "Where we heading anyway?"

"To fix some fencing out in the far meadow"

"Near that barn that burned down?"

Kelly nodded.

"Yes, Jed and I got it started but there's still a stretch of it left."

Jonathon hadn't gotten out the door quickly enough to avoid his mother's request to stay on another day to help out on the ranch. Kelly knew how much Thea cherished her son's rare visits and she knew in his own way, Jonathon did too.

"I'm sorry about the eye, John."

"Don't worry about it," he said, and pointed to a distant thatch of barren trees, "Is that it?"

Kelly nodded and they headed in that direction. Jed stood next to a section of fence, nailing some wire onto the top of the wooden planks. Jonathon dismounted and got off to help him while Kelly took the reins of his horse.

"I did most of the north end," Jed said, rubbing his brow, "We just got this section left."

Jonathon gestured to the remains of the barn.

"When you going to raze it?"

Jed shrugged.

"Not until the spring," he said, "We moved the rest of the mares to the other barn for the winter."

"How'd you get them all out in time," Jonathon said, "From what my mom said the fire started in the middle of the night."

Jed gestured to Kelly who had begun unrolling barbed wire.

"She made the difference," he said, "If she hadn't come up on Sienna that night, we never would have saved them all."

"But that wasn't long after she arrived here," Jonathon said, "She wasn't in any kind of shape…"

"Yeah, pretty amazing isn't it what the spirit can push the body to do," Jed said, thoughtfully, "When the chips are down, she's definitely a woman I'd want on my side."

* * *

Matt and Chris pulled up into the parking lot of the Women's Crisis Center, which had been in operation about two years. Matt's annual endowment had paid for the renovation for the historic building and landscaping, including the fenced in playground in the side yard. Several women sat on the benches watching their children play on the swing set.

"This place looks great," Matt said, "I can see the foundation's money was put to good use."

"You should see the programs that are offered to the women who are referred here," Chris said.

Fran stood by the entrance, waiting for them. Matt marveled at how much different she looked dressed in her business suit and heels, a stark contrast to how she'd looked standing outside the county lockup for women in Bannon County. She had helped him find C.J. first for cash, but then helped Matt break up the prostitution ring for herself and the other women trapped in it.

After the trial, she had accepted a job offer from Houston Enterprises and within a year, worked from the ground up on the new women's center.

"Hey, look at you," Matt said.

Fran looked at him shyly.

"Don't think I always wear this getup. I've got a meeting later this morning with a prospective sponsor for a new program."

"You're doing great work here," Matt said, "All of you are. Look at this place."

"I hope to do more when I get my MSW and licensed."

"You'll get there," Chris said, "How's Carlos taking it?"

Fran smiled and stuck out her left hand to show off her engagement ring.

"He proposed last week," she said, as both Matt and Chris congratulated her.

But her smile soon dimmed, as the light switched off inside her.

"I heard the news about that Piser creep," she said, "How'd the hell did that gutter trash end up all the way in Washington?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Matt said, "We've got Capt. Hoyt with the LAPD making calls right now."

"A crooked politician probably bought him an exit ticket," Fran said, with a shrug, "That's how politics works there."

"Look Fran, you spent some time with Piser, right?"

Her face clouded.

"Yeah, I was at Bannon County lockup for two stinking months."

"Did he or Sheriff Butz ever have any associates drop by," Matt asked.

Fran ran her fingers through her long black hair.

"Several," she said, "Hmmm…there was one guy. He looked South American. Wore very expensive suits, custom tailored and leather shoes."

"Was he a john?"

Fran shook her head.

"Nah, more like a supplier, a drug dealer but that wasn't the only thing he dealt in, " She looked at her hands, "Some of us, the regulars, thought that some of the really pretty girls who disappeared were taken to some other place."

"Not like the ones who were found in the desert."

"No, those were the trouble makers," Fran said, "These were the fancy looking broads too valuable to cap in the head just for trying to escape."

"Did he have a name?"

"I don't remember ever hearing it," Fran said, thoughtfully, "He didn't spend much time in the jails."

"Anything else different about him?"

Fran's eyes widened.

"Everything," she said, "But I know what you mean….Yeah, I think he had a tattoo on his bicep. Once he was wearing one of those muscle shirts when he dropped by and it showed up clear as day."

Matt and Chris looked at each other.

"What did it look like," Matt said, taking out a note pad.

"A strange looking animal…not a real one… Different animals mixed together. I can't remember much more."

"It's okay, Fran, thanks, you did great."

"I heard about C.J.," Fran said, shaking her head, "That she's been missing."

"Yeah, about six months now," Matt said, "We're trying to find her."

"I'm praying she's okay," Fran said, "And that she didn't cross paths with Piser."

"Will you contact us if you remember anything else," Matt said.

"Sure thing, and remember if you need anything from me or Carlos, just give us a call," Fran said, reaching over to Matt and hugging him, "Anything at all."

"I will," Matt said, "How the guards working out?"

"At least they're staying out of sight," Fran said, "I don't want them to scare the women here but I understand why I need them."

"It's just a precaution," Chris said, "We don't know if the women of Bannon County who testified against Piser and Sheriff Butz are in danger."

"Now, we need to talk to Rhonda," Matt said.

"She's staying at the cabin you've been leasing her, but she's out of town right now visiting family," Fran said, "She'll be back tomorrow or the next day."

* * *

Kelly took a break to eat some soup, underneath her tree. Jonathon sat down beside her, rubbing his hands.

"Sore," Kelly asked then looked at his reddened palms, "You'll live."

"It's been years since I've done this type of work."

"It won't kill you," she said, "Look at Jed."

Jonathon smiled then looked away.

"We're trying to set a grand jury date."

Kelly turned her face toward him, surprised.

"You don't even have anyone in custody," she said.

"We have another dead body," he said, "There's going to be an inquisition after the coroner gets the forensic tests back."

"It's not going to go anywhere until you find someone to prosecute," she said, "And it's not going to be Piser."

"We still don't know how he fits in the equation," Jonathon said, "We do still have your testimony."

"I already agreed to do that," Kelly said, "Back when you promised me I could go back home."

"We both know there's no guarantees that you'll be any safer after you testify," Jonathon said, "Unless we find more bodies to bust and break this organization down."

Kelly sighed.

"It's all on the disk," she said quietly.

"But that's gone, somewhere in that river you crawled out of, isn't it?"

Kelly rubbed her hand over her face, then looked at him.

"I know better than anyone here what I had to do to even get that disk."

"We'll have to work without it," Jonathon said, "But it's going to be a lot harder."

"Meaning that I might never return home," she said and put her gloves back on.

"You can get your life back," Jonathon, "You're going to get it back. Without the disk, it might just a bit longer."

"When will that be, the day I can go back home and not have a bounty out on me," Kelly said. "What was it again, a million five if I'm returned alive?"

Jonathon sighed.

"I know you miss your life, your work" he said, "And I know you miss Houston."

Kelly looked away, shaking her head.

"He's back in the country," she said, "It's been so long since I've seen him."

"He's already causing enough trouble for us, running around Texas looking for you."

Kelly frowned.

"He could get hurt or worse if he does that. You need to talk to him and tell him to back off."

"Like that's going to stop him," Jonathon said, "He's always been like that when it comes to you."

Kelly looked at him, narrowing her eyes.

"He's like that with all his friends, Jonathon. That's the kind of man he's always been."

Jonathon shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said, "I think he puts you in a whole different category of 'friend'"

* * *

Matt and Chris were back on the road, when Matt's cell phone rang again.

"Hello," he said.

"Houston, I just got off the phone with Arizona's correctional office," Hoyt said.

"Did you speak with the superintendent?"

"He said Piser was released eight months ago, on some sort of furlough," Hoyt said, "Never was seen again."

"Didn't they put out an APB on him?"

"Not right away. By the time they did, the trail was cold."

"Damn," Matt said, "What kind of furlough's going to be given to a man who's doing 20 years to life?"

"That's what the state attorney general wanted to know," Hoyt said, "He launched an investigation as soon as he got reelected."

"A lot of good that's going to do us now," Matt said, "Fran told us that Piser might have had connections somewhere in South America."

"That's not good news," Hoyt said.

"No it's not," Matt said, "Call me when you hear anything else."

"Will do, " Hoyt said, "And you be careful."

* * *

Some years ago…

"Hey, do you have a boyfriend,"

C.J. looked up from where she sat in the break room as Jonathon the new bartender walked in and sat down on a nearby chair.

"That's a bit of a personal question on the first day," she laughed.

"I cut to the chase," he said easily, propping his arms on the fold out table between them, "A lot less work that way, a lot more fun."

C.J. raised her brow. After watching him mix drinks for six hours for a never ending crowd, she wondered whether he had boundless energy. He wasn't a man afraid of a good day's work.

"No, I don't have a boyfriend right now," C.J. said, "I'm first year law. Not enough hours in the day."

"There's always enough time for the right person."

"Well, maybe I haven't found the right person yet," she said.

" What are you writing," he said, gesturing to the stationary in front of her.

"Just finishing a letter to my best friend. He's stationed overseas in the army."

"Your best friend…is a guy?"

"Yes…is there any law against that," C.J. said.

"There certainly is," Jonathon said, "Guys and girls can't be best friends. It's against the laws of nature."

C.J. laughed.

"What, you're a chauvinist?"

"Me? Hell no, I'm all into that women's lib stuff, but guys, girls there's a natural order of things and friendship's not one of them that comes to mind."

"Why not," C.J. said, "Matt and I, we've been best friends since I moved out to Texas."

"And what kind of best friends are you," Jonathon said, leaning forward and placing his chin on his hand.

"The very best," she said softly, folding her letter in half and placing it back in her purse, "I couldn't imagine my life without him in it. I wouldn't want to. "

"That sounds an awful lot like something more than friendship to me," Jonathon said, "not that I would know from my own schedule as Boston's busiest bartender."

A man stuck his head in the room.

"Hey, C.J., there's a call for you," the man said.

C.J. got up to take it, not realizing what was coming.

* * *

Kelly looked up at Jonathon and Jed each lifting an end of a wooden plank and brushing herself off, got up to help them.

"We're almost done with this section," Jed said.

"Then I think I'll head back to the ranch," Jonathon said, "I've got to fly back to D.C. by this afternoon."

"We can finish up here."

Kelly nodded, then went over to Jonathon and hugged him.

"Thank you for what you're doing," she said, "I know you're working hard."

He stroked her cheek.

"I do care about you, still. Time hasn't changed that."

"Someone's got to talk to Houston and tell him to stay out of this."

Jonathon laughed.

"I don't think anyone could," Jonathon said, "Besides he doesn't know you're in the program."

"So what does he know?"

"That you're missing," Jonathon said, "That no one's seen you in over six months."

"I wish I could just talk to him, just to tell him I'm all right."

"But you're not," he said, "And he'll never accept the fact that there's nothing he can do to change that."

* * *

"So we'll talk to Rhonda when she gets back," Chris said as they drove back to her house.

"She wasn't there as long as Fran but she might have seen or heard something," Matt said.

"Fran's doing really great," Chris said, "Do you think she'll be safe?"

"I won't be sure whether or not she's a target until I find out who's responsible for C.J.'s disappearance."

Matt's cell phone rang.

"Hello Dan, have you heard anything from the police?"

"Yeah I did. The tests came back on the pipe bomb. It could have blown the entire block out of Texas but for one piece of the detonator that was missing."

"That means these are not your run of the mill bad guys."

"They're running the make on the device to see if it matches the MOs or signatures of any known serial bombers or terrorists world-wide."

"Fran said there might be a Southern American connection to Piser's operation in Bannon County," Matt said, "You might want to tell the police to include that region on their list."

"Well do, are you coming back?"

"On our way right now," Matt said.

The black car had returned, tailing behind Matt and Chris as they headed back to her house.

* * *

"So Jed, how are things really going here," Jonathon said, as they walked back to his horse.

"You took a risk coming out here," Jeb said, "How do you know everyone you work with is who they say they are?"

"They're all clean, honest and hard working agents working for Uncle Sam."

Jed raised a brow.

"All of them," Jed said, lowering his voice, "Anyone can be bought for the right price, Jonathon. I know that better than anyone."

"I think I'd know if any of my men were working for someone else."

Jed shrugged.

"Just be careful, Jonathon," he said, "And watch your back."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Thea sighed as she looked at the table filled with food, but surrounded by empty chairs. She hadn't been able to sleep well last night so she had spent the early morning hours preparing breakfast, rancho huevos and chorizo for her crew.

"Jed, sit and eat some food before going out," she chided the ranch hand.

"Sorry, but I got an appointment in town," Jed said, "Then I thought I'd stop at Doc Stevens and pick up the rest of the vaccine."

"How many head left?"

"About 100 out in the farthest meadow," Jed said, "It's going to take me and Reed a couple days to do them all."

"I hope this good weather holds up a while longer," Thea said, "It's strange we haven't seen much snow yet."

Kelly walked into the kitchen.

"Don't tell me you're leaving without breakfast," Thea said, "Sit down and eat something."

"I've got to clean some tack," Kelly said, "And stack the new bales."

"Have some coffee at least."

"Sure," Kelly sat down at the table and poured herself some fresh brewed.

Jed's phone rang while he stood by the stove.

"Hello… I'm on my way out right now… Well, I heard you were the best… I hope you can help…See you in about 30"

"You got a date, Jed," Thea said.

"No, it's just business," he said leaving the two women.

"I worry about him," Thea said, "So how did you sleep last night?"

"Better than you, I think."

"I always cook when I can't sleep," Thea said, "I was thinking of Gordon."

"You still miss him," Kelly sipped her coffee.

Thea nodded.

"Jonathon reminds me so much of his father," Thea said, "He always has me thinking on him when he visits."

"Was Gordon stubborn like Jonathon," Kelly asked.

"Oh yes he was," Thea said, "That was both my favorite and least favorite quality about him."

"I understand what you mean," Kelly said, with a smile.

Thea studied the younger woman closely.

"So how's the sleeping been going," Thea said, "You still having those dreams?"

Kelly took a deep breath, then nodded.

"It's crazy, I'll have wonderful dreams, memories really of the past, then the nightmares come and I can't stop them."

"Maybe you're not supposed to, Kelly."

"I want to," Kelly said, "I don't want to lose my good memories with my old life. They might be all I have left of it."

"Jonathon seems to be hopeful that there's still a way to make this work," Thea said, "To catch enough of those bad guys and put them away forever so you can go home."

"I know he's working very hard," Kelly said, "But I'm not sure he really knows what he's going up against."

"But you do," Thea said, "Maybe your dreams are reminding you of that."

"I also dream about Matt, Jonathon back in the days when I was in law school and it's great…but then I'm back at that horrible place trying to escape all over again. And I can't get away."

Thea took her hand.

"But you did get away."Thea said, "Only a part of you is still there."

* * *

Matt drove the car into the narrow driveway leading to the cabin. It had been a gift from his father, a place to retreat from the frantic pace of running a multi-billion dollar corporation. Now, that he spent most of his time in L.A., he leased it out to people needing a place that was quiet and surrounded by the natural beauty.

He saw Rhonda kneeling beside a planter, trying to move it.

"Here Rhonda, you need some help with that," Matt said as he walked over after parking the car.

"Hi, Houston, sure, "Rhonda said, "I wanted to rearrange the garden spot out here ready for planting next spring."

They hoisted the planter over several feet, then Rhonda stood up and brushed off her worn jeans before holding out her hand.

"It's always good to see you," Rhonda said, "But Fran told me this wouldn't be a social visit."

"Semour Piser's body washed up in Washington and…"

"You're trying to find out who killed him," she finished.

"I'm also trying to figure out if his murder had anything to do with his shenanigans in Bannon County."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy," Rhonda said, "I know my mama told me it's not right to speak ill of the dead but Piser was just evil."

"You'll get no argument from me," Matt asked, "So you knew him?"

Rhonda nodded.

"Why don't you come in and I'll get some coffee or tea."

"Coffee will be fine, thanks."

They went into the living room and Matt noted the warm touches that Rhonda had added to what had been a sparsely furnished room when she had moved in about a year earlier. Photographs hung on the walls, snapshots out of time spent with family. In the past year, Rhonda had reunited with what was left of her family although not before her parents had passed on.

"I was in and out of the Bannon County lockup a few times before I met C.J.," Rhonda said, "Only for short stints. Two, three days, then a hearing before the judge."

"Did you ever see Piser during your stays at the jail?"

"Once, maybe twice," Rhonda said, "I never was picked to send to any of Piser's parties until that last one."

"Was Piser with Sheriff Butz at the time you saw him," Matt said.

"Yeah, Butz would bring Piser into the cell block a couple times," Rhonda said, "To look at the girls locked up for a few minutes. Then they'd leave."

"What happened to these girls?"

"They, the deputies would come and get them and they'd leave for a few hours," Rhonda said. "Though one time, they all came back 'cept one."

"Did you ever see anyone else with Piser," Matt said.

Rhonda sipped her coffee, then shook her head.

"No, but some of the girls used to talk about some other guy, dressed to the nines," Rhonda said, "He was at several of the parties. They came back talking about him."

"Did these women give a name or say what he looked like?"

"No name, but he was very good looking, about mid-30s and he had an accent."

"Thanks," Matt said, writing it down.

"Houston, do you think Piser was killed because of what happened to us?"

"I don't know Rhonda," he said, "That's what I'm trying to find out."

* * *

Jed waited in his vehicle until a man dressed in a long coat walked up to it.

"Did you bring it with you," the man asked.

"It's in the bag," Jed said, "I don't know if it's salvageable. It's pretty damaged."

"Well, I'll see what I can do and get back to you in a day or so."

"How can I get in touch with you?"

"It's a small town, but there's always a couple rooms for rent even in the sticks."

Jed handed him the bag.

"Be careful," he told the man, "and don't tell anyone we've ever met."

* * *

Kelly sat in the barn, startled suddenly by a flutter of wings up in the rafters. Nearby, Sienna, Sangria and the other mares munched hay in their stalls. She didn't mind cleaning tack, although it allowed the mind to wander.

C.J. picked up the phone after leaving Jonathon in the break room.

"Hi…this is C.J."

"C.J., it's me, Julia."

"What's up, I was about to leave and come check out the party."

"Look, the party's over. Most of the guests split. It's just me, Scott and a couple of his friends."

C.J. frowned. Her friend sounded odd.

"Julia, is anything wrong," C.J. wound the phone cord around her hand.

"Why do you ask that?"

"You sound strange, did anything happen?"

"No. Scott's about to take off and do a beer run," she said, "Listen, do you think you can find someone to come and pick me up?"

"I can try. What's going on," C.J. said.

"Nothing…I'll explain when you get here. "

"I'll find a way to get there. Just give me the address."

"I have it here," Julia said, then gave it.

"I'll be standing out in front," Julia said, then hung up, leaving C.J. on the other end of the line wondering what her friend had gotten herself into this time.

* * *

"Have you had any luck finding C.J.?"

Matt looked up at Rhonda.

"No, none at all," Matt said, "No one's seen her in the last six months."

"That creep Piser favored her as I remember," Rhonda said, "Do you think that had anything to do with it?"

"Maybe, but if Piser's dead, someone else seems to be pulling the strings," Matt said, "I've got to find out who that person is."

"Anything I can do to help you find C.J., you don't even have to ask."

"Thank you," Matt said. "How the guards working out?"

"They were here when I came back from the airport," Rhonda said, "They've kept in the background."

"There just a precaution until I found out what's going on."

Rhonda nodded.

"I know," she said, "Thank you."

Matt got up to leave then Rhonda grabbed his arm.

"Wait, I have something for you," Rhonda said, then left the room. She came back carrying a small box, worn around its edges. Wilted stickers of flowers lined its edges.

"I found this while I was cleaning one day," she said, handing it to him, "It was under a loose board in the love seat."

Matt examined it.

"I think it belongs to C.J."

"Then you can give it to her when you find her," Rhonda said.

* * *

Jonathon swept the area near the bar, when C.J. found him.

"Hey, what's up," he said, smiling "You leaving?"

"I was wondering if you could do a favor for me?"

His brows lifted and her face flushed.

"I know, we've just met but my friend called me and wanted me to pick her up," C.J. said, "I think something happened with her boyfriend."

Jonathon sighed, then put his broom aside. Dismay filled C.J.

"Look, just forget I asked," she said, then turned around to leave.

"No, come back," Jonathon said, "You had me at 'I'."

C.J. smiled.

"Just wait a minute while I just finish up here and we'll be gone."

"Thanks, a lot."

And five minutes later, they walked out into the parking lot to his Mustang. He unlocked and opened the door for her and she climbed in.

"You know I don't just drive off with guys I just met," C.J. said when both were sitting in the vintage car.

"I'll take that as a compliment then," Jonathon said and started the car.

"Where to?"

She gave him the address.

* * *

Matt left the cabin and drove back to the office headquarters. He reached for his cell phone and dialed Dan.

"Hey Dan," he said, "I just finished talking with Rhonda."

"What'd she say?"

"She mentioned a guy who sounded a lot like the guy Fran described. Came by the jail to talk with Butz and Piser several times."

"Did he have a name," Dan asked.

"Not that either of them remember."

"Do you think he's connected with Piser's death?"

"I don't know, but it's possible," Matt said, "We have to look at all angles."

"Chris and I are at Houston Enterprises. Murray and she were rechecking the financial reports. Everything looks pretty good."

"So after all that fuss, nothing was actually taken?"

"Apparently not."

"Maybe all this intrigue about corporate threat was a diversion," Matt said, "or a trap."

"Chris did find something she wanted to show you," Dan said.

"I'm on my way."

* * *

Jed walked into the barn and saw Kelly standing by Sienna's stall stroking the mare's neck.

"Hi, you finished with the tack already?"

She turned around and smiled.

"You finished with the 100 head," she asked.

He laughed.

"I just got back from town with the rest of the vaccine."

"Do you and Reed need any help with the cows," Kelly said.

Jed shook his head.

"We're set to go early tomorrow morning," he said. "The weather said a storm system might be rolling later this week so we want to finish up before it comes."

"Too bad, the weather's been great," Kelly said, "But even the lake is starting to melt."

Jed shrugged.

"It couldn't last forever," he said, "To everything, there's a season."

Kelly smiled.

"I didn't take you for a Byrds music fan," she said, "What else are you hiding?"

His smile dimmed a bit and he put his hands in his pockets.

"You'd be surprised."

She watched as Jed walked out of the barn.

* * *

Matt looked in his rear view mirror at the black car behind him. The car looked like the one that had tailed him and Chris the night he arrived in Houston. Its windshield was tinted so he couldn't see who was driving it. He looked behind him for a license plate but found none.

His phone rang again.

"Hi, Chris."

"Dan said you were on your way."

"About 10 minutes out but I picked up a tail," Matt said, "I think it's the same car that followed us that night."

"Are you sure?"

"It looks the same, but I can't get a good look at the driver and there's no front plates."

"Did it follow you the whole day?"

"No, this is the first I've seen it."

"How does it know how to find you," Chris asked.

"I'm not sure it's me that it's finding," Matt.

"You mean…?"

"I'll explain it when I get to the office."

* * *

Chris hung up the phone and sat in her office, looking over the paperwork that she had gone over with Murray. She had breathed a sigh of relief when the rest of the audit of Houston Enterprises came back showing the company had recovered well from the upheaval months before. She thought Matt might be happy but any positive feeling he had would be overshadowed by C.J.'s disappearance.

"Chris, there's a call on line three," her receptionist said.

"Thanks," Chris said, picking up her phone, "Hi, this is Chris."

"Hi, it's Jonathon."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Hi, here is another chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading my story and thanks for the input. It's been very helpful. I'm finding my first experience with fan fiction to be very enjoyable.

* * *

"Jonathon, I thought you said you wouldn't call me here," Chris said.

"I know," he said, "But Houston's causing a lot of problems for us here at the U.S. Marshall's office."

"What did you expect," Chris said, " You know he'll never rest until he finds C.J."

"He's going to get someone killed," Jonathon said, "And it might just be her."

Chris sighed.

"Then why don't you tell him the truth and trust him with it?"

"He's too close to the target," Jonathon said, "Things would get messy."

"And you're not," Chris said, "You were her boyfriend in law school."

"That was years ago," Jonathon reasoned. "His relationship with her is not."

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this a secret from him," Chris said, "I feel like an accomplice to something that's just wrong."

"You're helping keep C.J. safe."

"Safe," Chris said, "For how long?"

"As long as necessary."

"Jonathon, is C.J. ever coming back home?"

He paused.

"We'll know about that after the grand jury convenes," he said.

"When's that going to be?"

He couldn't answer.

"How much do you actually know about what's going on," Chris asked.

"This is a very sensitive situation," Jonathon said, "It's going to take time and a lot of carefully done work by our agencies."

"It seems to me if they were careful and patient in the first place, this might never have happened."

* * *

Matt drove on, keeping a careful eye on the car following him, never more than three car lengths behind him.

Even after interviewing two of the women caught up in the nightmare created by Piser in an Arizona jail, he felt he was no closer to finding C.J. or learning what had happened to her.

The two of them sat on the steps of the cabin, sipping their wine. Houston's father was hosting a small gathering there to celebrate the end of Matt's last tour with Army intelligence. His son's travel during the last several years had separated father and son and C.J. knew that the father was overjoyed that he was reunited with his son.

"It's great to see you back home, Houston," she said placing her arm in his and rested her head on his shoulder, "So what are you going to do now?"

"Go work for my father," he said, "He's always dreamed of having his son work alongside him at Houston Enterprises."

"Is that what you really want to do?"

Houston looked down at his glass.

"I enjoy working with him," he said, "But I really want to do something that will help people. People who are less fortunate than me."

"There's ways you can do that and still work for your father, Houston."

"I know," Matt said, "I was thinking about starting a foundation."

C.J. nodded.

"That's great," she said, "You've got a very generous heart."

"What about you, C.J.?"

She had graduated from Harvard School of Law with honors and worked in the public defender's office having thoroughly enjoyed her stint clerking with famed defense attorney, F. Lee Bailey.

"I'll do this for a while," she said, "But some day, if your foundation ever needs an attorney…"

Matt smiled.

"You know the door's always open."

"Thank you for that," she said.

"Scott said he might come work for my father when he's done traveling around the world."

C.J. frowned.

"He's in South America now, isn't he?"

Matt turned around and looked at her.

"Yes, I think that's where the last postcard was from," he said, "Did I just say something wrong?"

She looked at him, then shook her head.

"No you didn't," she said, softly then stood up, "I think I'll refresh my drink."

He watched at her as she walked back into the cabin.

* * *

Matt blinked and looked at the road ahead of him. He would have to deal with Scott eventually but wasn't looking forward to it. If C.J. saw something in his college friend that he hadn't, it began years ago.

His cell phone rang again.

"Hey, Dan I'll be there in a…"

Silence greeted him. He looked at the Caller ID and it read, "private".

"Who is this?"

"My identity is none of your concern Mr. Houston."

"Who are you and how did you get this number?"

"My methods aren't either."

"Okay, then what is your concern," Matt said, "Before I hang up?"

"You received my warning to stay out of our affairs, yes?"

"You mean that fake bomb that you threw in the window," Matt said, "Not very subtle are you?"

"If you continue your involvement in this situation, things will be much less…subtle."

"Meaning?"

"People are going to start to die, Mr. Houston."

"It seems to me whoever you are that the killing's already started on your end."

"You mean Semour Piser," the voice said, "Yes, distressful to learn what became of him isn't it?"

"Why'd you kill him?"

"How can you be so sure that I killed him," the voice said, "Tsk, tsk Mr. Houston there's still so much that you don't know."

"Well, why don't you educate me then?"

"They'll be time for that. That's something that your friend, C.J. is running short on."

"Where is she? What did you to do to her?"

"Patience, Mr. Houston. She has something that belongs to me and when I retrieve it, you can have her back in a manner of speaking or not."

"If anything happened…"

Click, the man hung up.

Matt slammed his phone down, trying to visualize the man who had just called him. The man without a face, with a carefully clipped voice.

Matt looked behind him and saw that the car still tailed him.

* * *

Kelly sat on the porch with Thea and Bonnie, drinking coffee and looking at the clear sky.

"I was hoping to see some snow by now," Bonnie said, "It must be that global warming."

Thea chuckled.

"Bonnie, when it does start snowing, we'll soon forget there ever was a summer."

"Hopefully, Jed and Reed will be finished vaccinating the cows before it does start snowing," Kelly said.

"Oh, they'll be fine," Thea said, "If they get caught in a white out, there's some hunters cabins on the ranches here to hole up in until it passes."

"Yeah, we'll sit home fretting over them and they'll be toasty warm by the fireplace, drinking brandy and swapping fish tales," Bonnie said.

"I remember one year, Gordon took Jonathon out hunting and they got caught up in a blizzard. They came down the mountain three days later with what was left of a deer they shot."

"I didn't know Jonathon hunted," Kelly said, "Somehow I can't picture him out in the wilderness tracking deer."

"He used to when he was a kid," Thea said, "But after Gordon died, he kind of lost his connection with ranching and the valley."

"I can understand that," Kelly said, "I was only a little girl when I lost my father. We used to go to the park and have picnics on afternoons when he left work early though that wasn't often."

"How'd your father die," Bonnie asked.

Kelly swallowed, her eyes burning a little bit.

"He was shot and killed while running to the grocery store late one night," she said, "They never found the man responsible."

"I'm sorry, " Bonnie said, "That must have been really hard."

" It was for a long time. My mother struggled to move on with her life, but she died not long after."

"Loss is always hard," Thea reached for Kelly's hand and patted it, "It always stays with you, especially when there's nothing to distract you from it."

* * *

"Chris, it's very important that you find a way to tell Matt to back off of his search."

"I don't think I can do that, Jonathon," she said, "I'm not sure I want to either."

"You don't have a choice," Jonathon said, "If he keeps trying to find her, it's not just his life that will be in danger."

"You don't know Matt very well, do you," Chris said, "He won't rest until he finds C.J. or what happened to her. He will not stop looking and he will not coming after whoever's responsible for her disappearance."

"I know him well enough to know how determined and stubborn he is when it comes to C.J."

"Okay, then explain to me again how I'm supposed to tell him to stop looking for her."

Her secretary came in the doorway and rapped the door.

"Mr. Houston is here to see you," she said.

"Listen, I have to go now," Chris said, "I might be able to buy you time but I think you need to come to Houston and speak with him soon."

Matt walked into her office, tailed by Dan.

"Why didn't you call me the second you got off the phone with that guy," Dan said.

Chris looked up, caught by the anger in her boyfriend's voice. What had happened now?

"Because I was almost at the office when he called."

Chris looked from one to the other.

"What happened, what guy?"

"Matt received a phone call from an unidentified man telling him that people were going to start dying if he didn't back off."

"He was very polite about it," Matt said, "But very serious."

"Matt, this is getting too dangerous," Chris said, "Maybe we should contact the FBI if the police can't do anything."

"It seems to me that the federal authorities had six months to find out what happened to C.J. and have come up empty handed."

"What are you going to do then, keep running around the country looking in every corner," Dan said.

Matt met Dan's angry gaze.

"If that's what it takes."

"You're going to get yourself killed," Dan said, his jaw set.

"The women I've been talking to about Piser told me about a man he may have partnered with or been working for in Bannon County," Matt said, "We need to find out who that man was and where to find him."

"How can you be sure he has anything to do with what's been going on now?"

"I don't, but we've got to start somewhere."

"This is crazy, Matt." Dan said "And Chris is right, it's dangerous."

"At any rate, I do think I found out how they've been following us," Matt said, "Why they've been showing up in the rear view mirror."

"What? How," Chris asked.

"Follow me out into the parking garage."

* * *

Kelly climbed into the Rover to head off to Silver Lode. The air chilled her face, as the sun remained low on the horizon. She had told Thea she was off to town to get some supplies. She pulled the car out of the driveway and turned onto the dirt road out to the main thoroughfare leading to town.

As usual, she kept a close eye on her rear view mirror. After six months, the road behind her had remained empty of any suspicious vehicles but she never forgot she was being hunted by those she had fled from.

If Jonathon couldn't keep Houston from dropping his search for her, then she had to try it herself. She knew of the dangers of breaking her cover but she also knew she couldn't bear it if anything happened to him.

"_You know I would never stop looking for you,"_

Matt had said that to her as both of them stood outside his penthouse suite where inside a party in her honor had been taking place. She had asked him what would happen if she had been trapped in the women's jail in Bannon County and never got her memory back. He had responded to assuage her fears and she knew he meant every word.

She held onto those words during times of crisis and they comforted her. But now, she knew those same words could get her best friend and anyone around him killed by an enemy he might not see coming after him until it was too late.

She passed the sign announcing the town limits and drove up to the diner where the town's only pay phone still stood. Parking her car, she noticed the streets were emptier than usual. She walked into the diner and only one customer sat in a booth with a plate of roast and potatoes. He looked up at her for a moment as she passed him on her way to the phone in the back.

"Excuse me miss," a voice from behind her said, tapping her shoulder. She swung around quickly. He backed up with his hands up, palms faced towards her.

"I didn't mean you any harm, miss," the customer, a tall man of about six feet, with brown hair and a ruddy complexion said, "You dropped something."

He handed her a faded photograph she had kept in her jeans pocket which must have fallen out.

"Is it your fella," the man asked.

She shook her head.

"No, he's just a really good friend," she said taking the photo back and looking at it for a moment before putting it back in her pocket.

"Are you from these parts?"

"No," Kelly said, "Just visiting family for a while."

"I'm on business here if you can believe it in such a small place out in the middle of nowhere."

"Well, thanks for returning the photo," Kelly said, "If you'll excuse me."

"Sure thing, miss."

Kelly watched him walk back to his booth before heading towards the payphone.

* * *

Matt led Chris and Dan inside the parking garage to where his car was parked.

"So what is this about, again," Dan asked.

"This is why they keep showing up out of nowhere and following us wherever we're going."

"Okay, that's been very strange."

Matt turned around to face Dan.

"Now how would they be able to do this?"

Dan's eyes narrowed for a bit and then they widened.

"Of course, through GPS technology," he said, "You mean, they rigged your car with a GPS device"

Matt nodded.

"Here, come and take a look at it."

Dan looked underneath Matt's vehicle and saw it.

"Son of a gun," Dan said, shaking his head.

"If you check Chris' car and probably your own, you're going to find the same device."

Dan and Chris looked at each other.

* * *

Kelly reached the phone and dug in her pocket to pull out some quarters, looking around her one last time. The man still sat in his booth chowing down on his meal, his back to her.

She hoped that she could talk some sense into Matt and tell him to back off of looking for her. What she was doing carried risks and Jonathon would be furious with her for making contact with this part of her old life. Still, she needed to know that Matt was alive and safe even if she wasn't sure she would ever see him again. She would do that and deal with Jonathon later.

She inserted the coins into the slot.

* * *

"So how long have you and Julia been friends," Jonathon asked as they drove through the darkness.

"Ever since we were kids," C.J. said, "When I first moved to Texas after my parents died, I didn't have any friends. "

"How old were you," Jonathon adjusted the heater, when he saw C.J. rubbing her hands together.

"About eleven," C.J. said, "I went to live on my uncle's ranch."

"So you became a cowgirl?"

C.J. laughed.

"My uncle raised cattle and horses," she said, "I spent most of my spare time helping him."

"I grew up on a ranch too," Jonathon said, "Until I left home after high school to find my fortune."

"And did you find it?"

"Not so far," Jonathon said, "I started out waiting tables, moved up to bartending and I'm going to business school."

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Jonathon said, "I just know I don't want to be a rancher. But enough about me, what are you planning to do after you finish law school?"

C.J. brightened.

"Julia and I are going to start our own law firm," she said, "We're going to use our degrees to help other women."

He nodded.

"That sounds like a plan," Jonathon said, "Two women armed with the law out to save the world."

"We want to help those women who can't afford high-priced legal counsel."

"That's really nice, C.J.," he said softly, "I know you'll be a real force in the world."

Jonathon turned up a side street, the street lights dimming behind them.

C.J. saw Julia standing in front of a large house at the end of the street but she wasn't alone.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Hi, here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing this story. Thanks for your comments!

* * *

"So what do we do now?"

Matt and Chris looked at Dan as all three of them stood in the parking garage of Houston Enterprises. True to Matt's prediction, similar GPS devices were discovered in all of their vehicles.

"I think we better keep this discovery under our hats for now," Matt said.

"How can they do this," Chris asked.

"It seems they can do anything," Dan said.

"The best thing to do is let whoever is responsible to believe nothing's changed," Matt said "And to try to use it to our advantage."

"They're way ahead of us," Dan said, "And we don't know much more than when we started."

"That's because we've spent the past few days playing catch up," Matt said, "It's time to step it up a notch."

"Wait a minute Matt, someone just threatened to start killing people if you didn't back off," Dan said.

"They've already started the killing Dan," Matt said, "I think we've stepped right in the middle of it. And it's too late to step back now."

Matt's cell phone rang.

"Hi Hoyt, what'd you find out?"

"I just got a phone call from Houston PD about the initial tests on the explosive device."

"What'd they find?"

Hoyt paused.

"They think they matched the signature of the explosive material to an organization of terrorists."

"Wonderful," Matt said, "Which organization is that?"

"They won't know for sure until they do further testing but they're looking at one that's not been active for quite a while," Hoyt said, "It might take a while before there's any confirmation."

"That's great news, Hoyt," Matt said, "Because someone just called me today and said if I didn't stop looking for C.J., people were going to die."

"Houston, when were you going to share that information," Hoyt said, "Should I even ask."

"I'm telling you right now, Hoyt" Matt said, "I did find out some more information on Piser's connections when he ran the prostitution ring in Bannon County."

"What was that?"

"Piser had an associate, a man in his thirties, well-dressed and with a foreign accent."

"Bannon County hasn't seen too many men of that description," Hoyt asked, "Does he have a name?"

"I haven't been able to find one so far," Matt said, "But he was seen by at least two of the women in the county lockup with both Piser and Sheriff Butz a few times."

"Are you sure he wasn't just another john?"

"The women, Fran and Rhonda, didn't seem to think so."

"So he was a partner in the ring?"

"That's what I'm thinking," Matt said, "or its ringleader."

* * *

Kelly listened to the busy signal on the other end. She hung up and stood by the phone, not sure what to do next. She reached into her pocket and found only worn bills. She walked over to the cashier, a young woman reading a paperback novel by the register.

"Hi, could you spare any change," she asked the woman.

"Sure, how much you need?"

Kelly gave her a couple bucks and took the change. She saw that the gentleman had left the diner, his dishes still waiting to be collected by the waitress.

The cashier's gaze followed hers.

"Interesting guy to wander into our little town," she said, "Left a huge tip."

"Does he come here often?"

The woman shook her head.

"Nah, he's been a regular since about yesterday morning," the woman said, and went to clear the table.

Kelly frowned, the man definitely wasn't from these parts. His finger nails looked clean and they'd been recently manicured which meant he wasn't a miner or a rancher, the two major occupations in the valley. And the region didn't attract many tourists who preferred the resort towns miles away.

She walked back to the payphone and dialed again.

* * *

"Matt, you can't go running half-cocked around Texas looking under every cacti and rock for C.J," Hoyt said, "Not without getting the authorities involved."

"Hoyt, I'm not going to argue with you about this," Matt said, "What I do need is your help."

Hoyt sighed.

"Okay, what do you need?"

"I need you to talk to some of your contacts to find out if any of them knew where that device came from," Matt said, "I don't think we can wait for the latest round of forensic tests to come back."

Matt looked down and saw "incoming call" light up on his phone.

"Look Houston, I'll do my best, but if these are professional terrorists you're dealing with, you can't handle this by yourself."

"We don't know if it's terrorists at all, Hoyt," Matt said, "Not until we try to find out."

"Maybe I should get your uncle on the phone and he can talk some sense into you."

"He's busy keeping an eye on Scott," Matt said, "I've got a feeling he's involved in this mess somehow or at least knows more than he's saying."

"How so?"

"I'm not sure yet," Matt said, "I'm just thinking it's possible that he was the last person C.J. talked to before she disappeared."

"Houston, you be careful," Hoyt said, "I don't want to be reading about you in the paper."

"Sure thing…I got another incoming call…I'll get back to you."

* * *

Kelly listened to the phone ring and then heard his voice.

"You've reached the number of Matt Houston, I can't come to the phone right now…"

Damn, she reached his voice mail. Should she leave a message for him? No, she couldn't do that, she had to talk to him directly. She almost hung up again. Should she?

Suddenly, the voice changed.

"Hi, this is Matt Houston."

She wrapped the phone cord around her hand and listened to a voice she hadn't heard in six months. A voice she believed for a long time she would never hear again.

"Hey, who is this speaking," Matt said.

Her legs grew weak and she sunk to the floor where she sat, with the phone cradled in her hands.

"Hello…. How may I help you?"

She didn't answer.

* * *

Matt looked at the Caller ID and saw that it showed a phone number that wasn't Texan. At first, he wondered if it was the same caller who had threatened him earlier but dropped that thought. It didn't seem menacing, just strange. As if the silence were a bridge or a barrier depending on what he said next.

"Matt, what is it?"

Matt turned to see Chris standing next to him, looking at him.

"Who is this…..", Matt asked, then an image popped into his head.

A snapshot of a woman with cascading brown hair dressed in jeans sitting on the grass with him and two of Matt's ranch hands. In her hands, she held a giant bullfrog dressed in a pretty bow that she had pulled out of a bag after calling Matt the winner of a frog jumping competition. The two ranch hands, Bo and Lamar, had accused her of cheating, but Matt had just looked and saw a woman who appreciated frogs just as much as he did.

"You've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you meet up with your prince," C.J. had said, smiling.

He had kissed her impulsively as a joke between the closest of friends. At least that's what he had thought at first and what he told himself afterward, as the taste of her lingered on his mouth. But in between, feelings inundated him that he didn't expect. After their lips parted, he sat back, lost in thought. Until C.J. gave him a serious look and his humor kicked back in as it often did to rein in his heart.

"Gribbit," he had said.

As he held the phone a couple of years later, he wondered why this memory had flashed in front of him, out of nowhere. Then he knew why.

"Is that you…C.J.?"

She froze when she heard her name. Her eyes stung even before the tears left them. She brushed them back with her hands then she dropped the phone. When she heard his voice on the other end of the line, she knew then she couldn't say anything. Looking down at her scarred hands, she remembered why.

Houston looked at his cell phone.

"What's wrong, Matt," Chris asked, "Who was it on the phone?"

"I don't know, Chris," Matt said, "But I had the strangest feeling…"

"You think it was C.J.," Dan said, "after all this time?"

"I don't know who was it was," Matt said, "They didn't say anything."

"Where'd the call come from," Dan said.

"Not from Texas," Matt said, "I think it was out of state."

"Could have been a wrong number," Dan said, "If it were C.J., I think she would have said something."

"Maybe, unless she couldn't."

Chris and Dan looked at each other, then back at Matt.

"What did Hoyt say about the latest forensics on the explosive device," Dan said.

"Its signature might tie to a terrorist organization that hasn't been active in a while."

"If so, it seems like they're pretty active now."

"But why is that," Matt said, "Why now?"

* * *

Kelly walked away from the phone, through the diner to where she parked the Rover. The sky began to darken and she pulled her coat closer around her to ward off the chilled air. She climbed into the vehicle and turned on the heater. She drove back to the ranch.

"There she is," C.J. said, pointing out Julia.

"Who's that with her," Jonathon said, looking at the two men who stood on each side of her.

C.J. shook her head.

"I don't know either of them," C.J. "Unless they're friends of her boyfriend. He's been hanging out with a different crowd lately."

"Where's her boyfriend," Jonathon said as he parked the car underneath the wide branches of a tree. The street was lit, but still held pockets of darkness.

"She said something about him going on a beer run."

"Why didn't she go with him," Jonathon said.

C.J. shrugged.

"They're kind of on and off actually," she said, "They just got back together."

"I have a strange feeling about this," Jonathon said as he removed his keys from the ignition.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," C.J. said as she opened the door to step out.

Both of them walked across the street to where Julia stood with the two men.

Julia didn't say one word which struck C.J. as odd, but just watched as both she and Jonathon walked up the front stairs to the veranda that encircled the house.

"Julia, is everything okay," she asked.

Julia just bit her lip. C.J. studied her face, which was pale except for traces of mascara beneath her eyes.

"You came," she said, her voice quivering.

"You asked me to," C.J. said, puzzled.

"This guy gave you a ride?"

"What happened," C.J. asked, "Who are these men?"

"Ah, you must be Ms Parsons, Julia's friend."

"That's none of your business," C.J. said, "I've come to pick up my friend."

"She won't be leaving, until her boyfriend returns," one of the men said. Both were men with jet-black hair and dressed in dark suits. Two more men walked up to join them.

"You don't tell her what she can and cannot do."

"C.J.," Julia said, "Be quiet and listen to him."

C.J. looked at Jonathon.

"You heard the lady," he said, "You have no right to prevent this woman from leaving if she wants to go."

"That's where you're wrong," the man said, "I hold all the rights in this situation. Her boyfriend has something that belongs to me."

"Belongs to you," C.J. said, "What could that possibly be? He doesn't even know you."

Julia shook her head slightly.

"On the contrary," the man said, "we're…business associates."

"What kind of business associates," Jonathon asked.

"Now that's none of your concern," the man said, "It's wiser for you if you stay out of our affairs. Our interest is only in her friend."

C.J. looked at Julia, who turned her head away.

"I think both of the ladies need to step inside so we can discuss this matter privately?"

"I don't think I can let you do that," Jonathon said.

The man gestured with his head to two other men standing nearby. One of them stepped in between Jonathon and the man who spoke.

"You have no voice in this situation," the man said, "My guards can keep you company, until we're finished."

Jonathon stood there, and watched as the two men who weren't guarding him led the women inside the house.

C.J. turned around to look at him just once before they walked inside. She looked at him, immediately sorry she had brought him there. He shook his head slightly in response and smiled back at her.

* * *

Kelly turned up the driveway into the ranch and pulled to a stop. She ran her hand through her hair.

She saw Jed walking back into the house with Reed and got out of the Rover to follow them. The warmth of the ranch house greeted them, as they removed their coats.

"So how did the vaccinating go," Kelly asked.

"We got 40 head done today," Reed said, "Hopefully, we'll get more done tomorrow."

"It looks like the weather's going to turn," Jed said, "So how did your day go?"

Kelly shrugged.

"I got some errands done in town," she said.

Thea came out to meet them.

"Hurry in here," she said, "I've got some new stew that will chase the chill right out of your stomachs."

"None for me," Kelly said, rubbing her stomach, "I'm not hungry."

Thea's eyes studied her.

"You're not coming down with something, are you?"

Kelly shook her head.

"No, I think I'm just tired."

"Run along upstairs then, get warm and I'll bring you up some tea."

"That'd be nice, thanks," Kelly said, then walked up the stairs.

Thea shook her head.

"How are you two guys doing?"

Both men put their hands in their pockets and shuffled their feet.

"Fine, Ma'am," Reed said, "We should be finished with that herd by the end of the week."

"Good job," Thea said, "Now let's get you warm food."

"Excuse me for a minute," Jed said, then left them.

* * *

"Matt, I know she'll be found," Chris said, sitting down beside him in her living room.

"I just hope it will be in time," he said.

Chris took a deep breath.

"Matt, I think Dan's right. I think it's time to contact the FBI and bring them up to date with what's been going on."

"Chris, they had six months to find her and she's still missing," Matt said.

"Maybe if we work with them," Chris said, "Between all of us, we can get to the bottom of what's going on here and bring C.J. home."

"Maybe," Matt said, "But it seems to me that they're part of the problem."

Chris sighed.

"What if I could bring you someone from inside a federal agency to come and talk to you?"

Matt looked up.

"FBI?"

Chris shook her head.

"No, it's someone from another branch of the Department of Justice."

"Who is…."

Dan came into the living room.

"Barbecue's ready on the back porch."

Matt and Chris got up to join him.

"Matt, Fran just called," Dan said, "She wants you and Chris to come out to the center tomorrow."

"Did she say why," he asked.

"She wants you to meet someone," Dan said, "Someone who might be able to lead you to Piser's associate."

* * *

Kelly laid back in the claw foot tub, soaking in the warm water. She wiped her hand over her face, before any tears came.

"Did you ever have a best friend when you were growing up, Matt?"

C.J. asked that while Matt tried to comfort her on the news that Julia had finally succumbed to the illness which filled even if it didn't define the last years of her life. She had received the news while she and Matt were trying to expose corruption in a dying town.

"Yes," Matt said, "then I found a better one."

She had smiled through her tears then. She smiled again, remembering that moment.

She reached for a sponge, dipped it in the water then ran it over her shoulders, over the puckered burn scar.

* * *

"Hi, this is Jed, have you had any luck yet?"

"I just got started this afternoon," the man said, "I had to unpack some of the equipment I'll be using."

"So how successful do you think you'll be," Jed said.

"That depends on a variety of factors, not the least being the condition of the disk."

"The water damage couldn't be helped," Jed said, "We're probably lucky the disk survived at all."

"How'd you get it," the man asked.

"The woman I told you about had it on her when she arrived at the ranch about six months ago."

"Did she give it to you," the man said.

Jed didn't respond.

"Does she even know you have it?"

"No, she was very sick when she first arrived," Jed said, "She had a serious infection and the doctor didn't think she'd even survive."

"That's a shame," the man said, "But it seems that she's looking much better now."

"What do you mean," Jed said.

"I saw her today, in the diner."

"How do you know it was her," Jed said.

"It's a small town and I've traveled through many similar towns," the man said, "It's always easy to see who's not from them. She looked as much out of place in Silver Lode as I feel."

"She's not the villain here," Jed said, "She's the one who got hurt."

"She was making a couple of phone calls on a pay phone," the man said, "Phone calls she obviously couldn't make back at the ranch."

"Maybe, it's to her contact."

"Maybe," the man said, "She did drop a picture of a fellow and I gave it back to her. Young looking guy, dark hair, looks like he came from money."

"She doesn't really talk about anyone specifically."

"It must be someone from her past, someone personal." the man said, "and if she's trying to contact him, she's already forgotten lesson number one in starting over which is to walk away from your old life and never look back."

"That's easier said than done," Jed said, "I'm talking from personal experience."

"I'm talking from spending years scraping up after people who broke that rule and paid with their lives," the man said, "I hated that job, but the retirement package's nice."

"I'm glad I stuck to just being a city cop," Jed said, "Most of the time it was less complicated except when I had to come to you."

"I'll be in touch," the man said before hanging up.

* * *

Kelly laid back in her bed, stroking the cat's fur. Someone knocked on her door.

"Come in," she said.

In walked Thea with the promised tea.

"It's a mixture of chamomile and hops to help you sleep," she said.

"Thanks," Kelly said as she reached for the cup.

"I see Granville found you," Thea said, sitting on the edge of Kelly's bed.

"I feel a lot better, thank you," Kelly said, "I was just tired."

"Are you sure it's not homesickness that you're feeling?"

"I guess I can't fool you," Kelly said, "Jonathon warned me about that."

Thea took Kelly's hands and looked straight at her.

"You'll see him again, I'm sure of it."

"Who, who will I see again?"

"The one who you hold in your heart," Thea said.

Kelly shook her head.

"I don't think so, Thea," Kelly said, "I don't think I ever felt as far away from him as I did today."

"My son is the best at his job," Thea said, "He'll help you get your life back."

"Even if a grand jury convenes and I do testify, that's not necessarily the end. I might have to go into permanent relocation."

"I think whoever did this to you will be found and brought to justice," Thea said, "I think you'll play your role in that then you'll go home and this man will be there waiting."

Tears brimmed Kelly's eyes and Thea reached out and hugged the younger woman close.

* * *

Another place miles and miles away, another man made a phone call.

"I don't think that Mr. Houston is going to back off," the man said, "I think it's time to up the stakes."

"Patience," the other man said, "There's still a chance he'll change his mind. In the meantime, how do things look on the other front?"

"Going right on schedule," the first man said, "We'll be able to make a definitive move in the next day or so."

"And the target?"

"Will never see what's coming," the first man said, "And certainly not, where it's coming from."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Here's the latest installment, finally. I hope you like it and thanks for reading!

* * *

Matt and Chris left her house late the next morning and drove to the center where Fran would be waiting with the woman who would provide them with more information on Piser. Matt had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep until just before dawn. In the morning, Murray had called him to say that he and Chris needed to attend a meeting to wrap up a deal at the office. Even with Murray timing the meeting with a stop watch, it still ran until nearly noon.

"You didn't want any breakfast this morning," Chris said, "We could stop at a drive-thru before we arrive at the center. It's past lunchtime."

"I'm fine," Matt said, "That coffee you brewed this morning did the trick."

"I know this is very difficult, Matt," Chris said, "Hopefully, this woman can point us in the right direction. Fran said she spent more time in the jails than just about anyone."

"I can't stop thinking about where C.J. is now, and what she's doing," Matt said, "I wonder if she's safe somewhere, too scared to come out."

"I really believe that she is safe some place," Chris said, "

"About that guy you mentioned yesterday, the one who works for the DOJ," Matt said.

"I'll contact him after this meeting and see if he'll meet with you."

"What branch of the DOJ does he work for?"

"That's the center up ahead," Chris said, driving the car into the lot in front.

They left the car and walked up to the entrance where Fran stood with a tall, slender woman dressed in jeans and a blouse.

"Meet Kyra, our newest volunteer," Fran said, "She's going to be one of our crisis line counselors as soon as she completes her training."

"Hi, nice to meet the both of you," Kyra said and shook their hands, "I've heard so much about you from the other women here."

"Nice to see you've joined the center," Matt said.

"Kyra wanted to talk to you about her experiences in Bannon County," Fran said, "She spent a lot of time in lockup and at quite a few of Piser's parties."

Kyra's smile dimmed, then she nodded.

"It seems like a long time ago," she said, "Other days, it doesn't seem like long enough."

"Hey, you're safe here." Matt said, "Piser's not going to hurt any more women."

"I know it's wrong to think this way," Kyra said, "But I'm glad he's dead. I'll thank whoever did it when I know they aren't worse."

Fran rubbed Kyra's shoulder.

"You're not the only one who wishes that."

Kyra looked at Fran who nodded and then she continued.

"Anyway, I was in and out of Butz' jail for a couple of years, sometimes for short stints, sometimes longer."

"Did you see Piser come by the jail," Matt said.

"Oh yeah, in fact I was his date a couple of times," Kyra said, "Creepy control freak."

"Did you ever see him hanging out with any associates," Matt asked.

Kyra thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Yeah, there was Rico," she said, "I think that's what Piser called him."

"Rico?"

"He was good-looking, well dressed and groomed," Kyra said, "I was in the office one time when he walked in looking for Butz and Piser."

"Did he say anything," Matt said.

"He wasn't in the office long before Piser showed up looking for him to take him to lockup to pick out some girls for a party later that night. But I did spend a few moments talking to him."

"What did he talk about," Chris asked.

"He talked about how different Bannon County was from his home," Kyra said, "Which struck me as funny because the only places I ever knew were all the same."

"Did he say where 'home' was," Matt said.

"It was a South American country," Kyra said, pursing her lips, "I want to say Columbia or Venezuela but I'm not sure."

"Did he talk about what he did there?"

"No, not much, he mentioned having family. Some of them had been in the import business."

Matt and Chris looked at each other.

"Well, we know that there are import businesses," Matt said, "And there are import businesses."

"Oh yeah, you mean some are legit and some are not, right?"

"Exactly," Matt said, "And I'm guessing from what we know about this guy and his connections with Butz, Pier and the party circuit in Arizona, his business runs on the wrong side of the law."

"He did offer me a job," Kyra said, "Told me I was very pretty and that I should come work some parties up in the north-west somewhere."

"Where in the north-west," Matt asked.

"I think either Oregon or Washington."

"What kind of job," Matt asked.

Kyra shrugged.

"It sounded a lot like what I was doing for Piser," Kyra said, "He was strange. Polite, cultured, obviously educated but he looked like he could snap your neck in a second then ask for a drink in the next."

"Did you notice anything else about him?"

Kyra paused.

"Oh yeah...he had a tattoo on one of his arms which he showed me. A funny one, different creatures all mixed up."

"What kind of animals?"

"It's hard to describe," Kyra said, "I could sketch it for you if you like."

Matt handed her his pen and notebook.

"Please do."

Kyra furrowed her brow and sketched lines, then shapes on the paper. Matt could tell she had an artist's eye. She drew what looked like a lion, only it had wings and for a tail, the head of a snake with gaping fangs. She handed his notebook and pen back to him.

Fran, Matt and Chris studied it.

"What in God's name is that," Fran said.

"I think I know," Chris said.

* * *

Kelly rode Sienna out to where Reed and Jed worked on the cattle. Reed used his horse to herd separate groups of them into the chute and Jed gave each one an injection. Kelly dismounted and walked up to where Jed stood, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

"I brought you some left over stew," she said, "It's in the saddlebag."

"Thanks, Kelly."

"How many do you have left to do," she asked.

"Several dozen," Jed said, "We made good time this morning."

"I can help. I used to do this at my uncle's ranch."

"Okay, you can go out and work with Reed," Jed said, "After we all have some of that stew."

Jed gestured Reed to come in and join them.

"Thanks, Ma'am," Reed said, "Thea makes the best stew in the valley…except for my mom."

"Reed grew up on the other end," Jed said, "He's been working cattle since he could ride. He splits his time between here and his dad's old ranch."

"After my dad died, my mom sold off a lot of the herd and some of the land," Reed said.

"He told me he spotted 'ol Diablo several days ago," Jed said.

"Yeah, I saw him up on the hill," Reed said, "One moment he stood there looking back, the next he was gone."

"That must have been a sight," Kelly said, "I've heard so much about him."

"He's been a fixture in the valley for so long," Reed said.

"If it weren't for Diablo, we'd have lost all those mares in that fire."

"What do you mean," Kelly asked.

"He woke up everyone at the ranch with that calling he did," Jed said, "He would have woken up the dead."

Reed nodded, grimly and got up to get some more coffee. Kelly ran her hand through her hair.

"Yeah I remember," she said, "It woke me up too."

"You were in quite a sleep yourself from what I recall," Jed said, "The sleep of the dead or close to it."

"I heard this screaming," Kelly said, "And I thought I was…"

"Where Kelly," Jed asked.

Kelly looked down at her stew.

"Back at the place, where I left," she said, "I thought someone was calling for help."

"All I know is that you showed up riding up on Sienna at the right time," Jed said, "Not that you didn't scare a few folks suddenly showing up like that."

"We had a fire like that on the ranch when I was growing up," Kelly said, "Lightning strike nearby. We lost some horses."

"And you know that every hand counts."

Kelly nodded.

"And so does every second."

* * *

C.J. looked around the living room as she and Julia entered the house with the two men. The leader gestured for them to sit down in two chairs, while he took a third.

"Who are you," she asked the man.

"A businessman passing through," the man said, "Would you like anything to drink?"

"No thank you," C.J. said, "I want to know why you're not allowing us to leave."

"Her boyfriend," the man said gesturing to Julia, "has something that belongs to me. I want it back."

C.J. looked at Julia, who shrugged her shoulders.

"So Scott didn't just go out on a beer run did he?"

Julia shook her head.

"I'm so sorry I brought you into this," she said, "I didn't know what else to do."

"What does Scott have that belongs to you?"

The man raised his brow and laughed.

"My direct and to the point, are we," he said, "Scott did some work for me,"

"What kind of work," C.J. asked.

"I'd rather not get into it now," the man said, "I asked him to go retrieve what he owed me and he left about an hour ago. He's chosen not to return."

"You don't know that," Julia said.

"He's been delayed in returning then," the man said, "It doesn't matter which as far as you two should be concerned."

"So are you going to keep us here until he does return," C.J. said.

"No, I'm going to send one of you with one of my men to retrieve him and keep the other two of you here as my guests."

"The man out front," C.J. said, "He's some guy from my work. Just let him go."

"And risk him running off to the police, no he stays here," the man said, pointing to C.J. "with you."

The man grabbed Julia out of her chair. C.J. got up to try and stop him but another man shoved her back.

"Julia, she'll go with one of my men to get Scott and to bring him back here," the man said, "If she fails to do so, then you and your boyfriend will pay the price for the lost merchandise."

Two more men came in the room, dragging Jonathon. He looked at the two women, but didn't say anything.

"Put him over there," the man said, "He and the woman, here will stay here to keep us company while you take Julia to bring back Scott."

The men nodded. One of them reached over and grabbed Julia, taking her out of the room. C.J.'s eyes followed her friend as she left.

C.J.'s eyes met Jonathon's.

_I'm so sorry…_

_

* * *

  
_

Matt and Chris thanked Kyra and Fran and left the center.

"What'd you think about Kyra's story," Chris said, as they reached her car.

"I'm thinking that this 'Rico' guy was Piser's partner and probably was responsible for springing Piser out of the Arizona State Pen."

"But if that's so, why's Piser dead?"

"That I don't know, Chris," Matt said, "But Kyra said that Rico ran parties up in Oregon or Washington and that's a lot closer to where Piser ended up dead than Bannon County is."

"So you think he's responsible for Piser's death?"

Matt sighed, as he opened the car door on his side.

"I don't know," Matt said, "But I do believe that Piser died because of his connections with this Rico. I just don't know who killed him."

"Did they determine a cause of death," Chris said.

Matt shook his head.

"No, his body was too decomposed. It could have been anything."

"Surely, they're running further tests…"

"Probably, but the fact is, they may never find out how he died or even exactly when."

"So Piser gets out of the slammer and winds up in Washington, dead," Chris said, furrowing her brow, "What happened in between?"

"That is the question of the hour."

* * *

Kelly stayed with Jed and Reed to help them finish with the cattle. The weather reports coming out for the valley predicted the possibility of snow later in the week. She and Sienna took the left flank while Reed took the other side and together, they prodded even the cankerous ones into the chute where Jed waited.

The sun began to sink lower in the west, the air chilled.

"I think that's the last one," Jed called out, as he released it back into the herd.

"That's a relief," Reed said.

"Any more cattle to vaccinate," Kelly asked.

"Another herd out in the other end of the ranch but they can wait," Jed said, "Doc's still waiting for another shipment of vaccine to come in anyway."

"Okay, let's head back," Reed said.

Jed rode alongside Kelly.

"You weren't kidding when you said your uncle taught you about ranching."

"Everyone had to pull their weight if they wanted to eat," she said, then patted Sienna, "I have to give credit where it's due. She's a great cutting mare."

"Sienna's a pro at that," Jed said, "But she's in good hands."

Kelly smiled, tipped her hat.

"Thanks for the compliment."

"You're welcome but I don't give them," Jed said, "You're a good rider."

"I rode a lot when I moved to Texas," she said, "There was a boy on a neighboring ranch I used to go riding with all the time."

"Does he have a name," Jed asked.

"Matt," she said, "His father was an oilman who did ranching on the side, but I think Matt preferred cattle and horses to oil rigs and tankers."

"Any sane man would," Jed said, "So did you two grow up together?"

"We went to different high schools," Kelly said, "But the rest of the time we hung out together a lot."

"What's he doing now?"

Kelly frowned.

"I don't know," she said, "When I…left, he had left town to get away for a while. He was getting married to this woman he loved and she left him after an enemy of his showed up at the wedding out for revenge."

"So what happened," Jed asked.

"She left him because his work scared her and he wouldn't give it up. He couldn't. It would be like giving a part of his self up. She really broke his heart when he left."

"It's a hard choice for any man between his career and a woman," Jed said, "Until the right one comes along."

Kelly laughed.

"For women, it's always a choice whether the man's the right one or not."

"Life is full of choices," Jed said, giving his horse a little rein as they neared the ranch house, "Some time's it's the choice itself that matters and other times, it's the journey to get there."

* * *

"Matt, I think the tattoo is called a chimera," Chris said, "It's a creature from Greek mythology. A mixture of different animals."

"Yeah, I think I've heard of it. Kind of a strange tattoo don't you think?"

"Maybe it's the symbol for his organization," Chris said.

Matt nodded.

"I think you're right," he said, "It looks a bit like the tattoo of the man I chased the other day."

"So you think that the two are related?"

"That's what we need to find out and soon."

"So what happens next," Chris asked.

"I called Hoyt this morning to check out that phone number for the dead call yesterday."

"You think it might be C.J.?"

"I don't know," Matt said, "But I'm not taking that chance if she was trying to contact me."

"So when will he get back to you?"

"He said it would take a while," Matt said, "Back to back homicides in his precinct yesterday."

"The world's a dangerous place."

"That it is," Matt said in agreement.

* * *

A while ago,

C.J. stood in front of the mirror of the motel room, fixing her hair. Dressed in her finest business suit, she frowned at the reflection that stared back at her. There was a knock at the door. She opened it and saw Matt standing in the hallway.

"Am I running late," she said, getting ready to pick up her purse.

Matt shook his head.

"No, I just dropped by to check how you were doing."

"Doing," C.J. said, running her hand through her hair, "I'm fine. This isn't any big deal. I've been to court a zillion times."

"But not like this," Matt said, "All those other times, you walked into the courtroom as an attorney. Not as a witness."

"I've been a witness before…in depositions."

"Counselor, that's not the same thing."

C.J. sat on the bed.

"You're right, it's not," she said, "And I keep telling myself that it's the same. The truth is, I'm scared to death."

He sat down on the bed beside her.

"There's nothing to be scared of, C.J.," Matt said, "This won't be the Bannon County lockup. You'll go to court, sit on the witness stand and tell the jury what happened to you and those other women."

"Easier said than done," C.J. said, with a nervous laugh, "They'll be sitting right in front of me the entire time. And I know they can't hurt me or anyone else but it's still hard."

"I'll be there," Matt said, "If you need someone to look at, look at me."

"Thanks, I will," C.J. said, "And thanks for coming all the way out to Arizona with me."

"There's nowhere else I could ever be," Matt said, "And I will never let anything happen to you. Not ever."

C.J. smiled.

"We'd better get going," she said, standing up and walking to the mirror again, "I just can't get my hair just right and my clothes…"

"C.J…"

"And these shoes," C.J. said, "What was I thinking wearing heels with all those stairs."

"You look just fine," Matt said, looking at her, "In fact, you look beautiful."

She started to say something and stopped when she saw the expression on his face.

* * *

Kelly and Jed walked into the house where Thea was laying out places at the dinner table.

"Here, let me help with that," Kelly said, walking over to the cabinet.

"How'd it go today," Thea asked.

"Great, we got them all done."

"I'm glad," Thea said, "I was listening to the weather report and there's a storm coming in the valley in a few days."

"How bad?"

"It's too early to tell," Thea said, "The weather's mighty unpredictable in these parts. Could be flurries or it could be one for the books."

"The mares…"

"Some of the quarter horses can be moved to the barns," Thea said, "But the other ones are much tougher stock. They'll be fine."

"What about the yearlings?"

Thea shrugged.

"We'll bring them in to the paddocks," she said, "They'll provide some shelter."

"I'll help get them when it's time," C.J. said.

Thea smiled.

"Frisco and the other horses will be just fine," she said.

* * *

Jed's phone rang and he picked it up.

"Hello."

"It's me."

"How's the work going," Jed asked.

"Very slowly," the man said, "It took a lot of work to access the disk. Most of the files couldn't be retrieved."

"Any good news?"

"I have accessed several files so far," the man said, "There's some information on them that you need to know."

"What,"

The man hesitated on the other end.

"Not over the phone and you'll understand when I talk to you," he said, "Tomorrow morning, same place?"

"Okay, I'll be there."

"And don't tell anyone what I'm going to tell you," the man said, "When we meet, you'll know why."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Here's the latest chapter. It's getting a bit longer than I originally planned but it's interesting how stories unfold as you write them down.

Thanks for the comments and I hope you enjoy reading it!

* * *

"This is Jonathon," the voice on the other line said, "What's up Chris?"

"I told Matt that I knew someone from the DOJ that I would ask to meet with him."

Jonathon sighed.

"Did you tell him it was me?"

"No, and I didn't tell him what branch you were from," Chris said, "But if you want him to back off his search, you're going to have to tell him yourself."

"I don't think he'd listen to me even if I could tell him," Jonathon said, "He can't know that C.J.'s a protected witness."

"Why?"

"It's bad enough that you know," Jonathon said, "And that's because we needed your help and C.J. trusts you."

"I'm not going to violate that trust," Chris said, "But he's not ever going to give up until he finds her."

"If he doesn't," Jonathon, "He might never see her again, especially if he's being watched and they use him to find her first."

"We're all being watched," Chris said, "How do you know you're not being watched."

"We've taken all of the precautions on this end."

"So have we," Chris said, "and so far it hasn't made much difference."

* * *

Matt sat at the breakfast room table, eating breakfast. Dan sat, reading the daily newspaper.

"There's some news on Piser," Dan said, "The FBI has officially taken control of the case from the local jurisdiction and is running further forensic tests. "

"Great considering the job they've done out here," Matt asked, "What about DNA?"

"That too, although it didn't say whether or not any foreign tissue was found."

"I would think the feds would keep that to themselves," Matt said, "What made them decide to take the case?"

"I don't know," Dan said, "That's a good question."

Matt's phone rang.

"Hello, Hoyt do you have any news?"

"Just on the tests on the explosive device," Hoyt said, "It traces back to an organization based in Colombia and Bolivia that was linked to some bombings and other terrorist activities."

"Anything more specific about this organization like a name?"

"Not yet," Hoyt said, "The problem is, there's no recent history of activity from this group. The feds and Interpol thought they shut it down a few years ago."

"So what will they do next," Matt said.

"They've sent the detonator to the DOJ's lab for further forensic testing. Then they'll send it out to cross-match it with the other bombings this organization may have done."

"If it's a group that's been shut down," Matt said, "Why would it be active now?"

"I guess we'll find that out after we know for sure who they are."

* * *

C.J. sat in her chair, barely looking at Jonathon who sat across from her in the living room. Two guards stood by the door, while the man who appeared to be their leader sat with them.

"Would you like anything to drink," the man said.

Both C.J. and Jonathon looked at him.

"It might be a bit of a wait until they return with your friend," the man said.

"Who are you," C.J. asked.

The man smiled.

"Ah yes, how rude of me," he said, "We haven't been properly addressed. My name is Andre."

"Why do you need the guys with the guns," Jonathon asked, "Andre."

"For insurance and protection in my line of work," Andre said, "What are your names?"

"Why should we tell you," Jonathon said.

"I could give those two men standing over there an order to force your name out of you without saying a word," Andre said, "Or you could tell me on your own volition."

"You can't threaten us," Jonathon said.

"I can do whatever I want to you or her," Andre said interlocking his fingers of his hands, "Remember, I'm the one holding the guns."

Jonathon and C.J. looked at each other.

"I'll make this easier," Andre said, "I know she's C.J. Parsons because her friend Julia Martin told me her name after several requests from me but I don't know your name."

Jonathon stared back at him.

"You need to tell him," C.J. said.

"It's Jonathon," he said, staring back at Andre.

"Good," Andre said, "Now that we've been introduced, we can have a much better conversation."

* * *

Jed walked into the diner, where he saw the man sitting in one of the booths, eating an order of eggs and hash browns. He sat down across from him.

"I got here as quickly as I could."

"I'll have to make this quick," the man said, "I'm expecting a call from a contact looking up some of the information I've given him and waiting for more. Relax. He's discrete but I've got to be sure about this."

A waitress came by the table and Jed ordered a coffee.

"So what did you want to tell me," Jed said.

"It's what I've got to show you," the man said, pulling a lap top computer out of his bag and booting it up.

"What did you find?"

"Like I told you last night, I couldn't access most of the disk or retrieve most of the files."

"Is that the disk storage," Jed said, pointing to the screen.

"Yeah, as you see, very little could be retrieved," the man said, "Even less could be opened successfully."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I tried my best," the man said, "Next time, I would advise not exposing it to white water and I could tell which one by the dirt on it."

"I'll pass that along," Jed said, dryly.

"Still, there's some interesting information here."

"Like what?"

"There's some files of different cities in different countries," the man said, "I couldn't read most of those so I don't know what they signify."

Jed read the file names on the screen.

"Bangkok, Manila, Delhi, London, Honolulu, Phoenix, Boston, Dallas, San Francisco, L.A…Seattle?"

"Unless I can open them, I don't have any idea what's in them and there could be others."

"Anything else?"

The man clicked another link on the computer.

"This one has a list of names, nationalities and dollar amounts," he said, "Looks like possibly a client list or maybe a payroll."

"That could be useful," Jed said, "Let's see. Do you recognize any of these?"

"Just one," the man said, "which is why I called you."

"What's wrong? Who is it?"

The man sighed.

"That one," he said tapping the screen with his finger, "I used to work with him when I was with the bureau."

"That was a little while ago," Jed said, "Where's he now?"

"He worked in the organized crime division with me for a few years. In fact, I trained him. We had a good relationship while we worked together," the man said, "But he wasn't happy with the FBI, he wanted to transfer to another division in the DOJ."

"Which division was that," Jed said, concern gnawing at him at the sight of his friend's face.

"The United States Marshals Service."

* * *

Jonathon sat in his office, thinking about what Chris had said. He wondered if he should contact Matt and explain the situation to him and then he thought about what would happen if he did.

"Hey boss."

He looked up and saw Brad and Sally, two marshals standing in the doorway.

"What's up," Jonathon said, putting his stack of papers aside.

"Derek told us to pick up some case files on some witnesses for him," Brad said, "I don't know why, he thinks there might be some issues with them."

"Budgetary," Jonathon said, sighing, "We got that last appropriation."

Brad scratched his head.

"I don't know, here's the list that he asked for," he said, handing it to Jonathon.

Jonathon read through it, frowning as he got further down the list.

"Okay, these four are fine," he said, "I'm finishing up and closing these three."

"Then it's fine if we pick up the files?"

"All but the last one," Jonathon said, "This individual still has an active case file. I'll need to talk to Derek directly about it."

"Sure thing, "Brad said, as he and Sally left.

Jonathon picked up the telephone and made a call.

* * *

"What kind of conversation," C.J. said.

"What would you like to talk about," Andre said.

"Who are you," C.J. said.

"I was like you, a Harvard student but graduated with a masters in business administration," Andre said, "I then went to work in the family business."

Jonathon gestured to the two men by the door.

"It couldn't be a legitimate family business."

"We specialize in importing products from around the world," Andre said, "including some rather unseemly places. That's why the need for protection."

"What is it that you import?"

Andre looked at C.J.

"A variety of merchandise," he said, "Perhaps we'll discuss that later on if your friend doesn't turn up."

"What are we to you," C.J. said, "We're just students."

"I'd say your friend, Scott's been a student of a variety of trades," Andre said.

"I don't believe you," C.J. said.

"We'll talk about that later too."

"How long are you going to keep us here," Jonathon said.

"At least long enough to learn whether or not Scott's returning with what he's taken," Andre said, "After that, we can discuss what happens next."

"And if he doesn't return?"

"Then we'll exact our price," Andre said, "with very little room for negotiation."

"He'll return," C.J. said, "Once Julia finds him and tells him what happened."

Andre laughed.

"Julia will be returning, with or without her boyfriend."

"What will happen if she can't find him," C.J. said.

"For your boyfriend here, it will be quick," Andre said, "He's not nearly as valuable as you are."

"You can't be serious," C.J. said, "You would kill someone?"

"Yes, if necessary," Andre said, "Although you have nothing to worry about."

Jonathon stood up.

"He's not going to kill anyone," Jonathon said, "He's just trying to scare us."

Andre nodded at the two men and they started to walk over.

"Wait," C.J. said, standing up, "Jonathon I think you need to sit down."

"Smart girl," Andre said, "You'd be wise to listen to her. Now why don't we talk about something else for a while?"

* * *

"Are you sure he's at the U.S. Marshel's Service," Jed asked.

"I don't know," the man said, "I retired before he transferred out of the FBI."

"Can you check and find out for sure?"

"Yes, I have contacts in most of the DOJ divisions. It shouldn't be too difficult to find out."

Jed shook his head.

"This is very bad if it turns out this guy's a mole in there for some really bad guys."

"We don't know that," the man said, "We just know he might be on the payroll of some really bad guys."

"He's clearly not undercover," Jed said, "He's up to something. Even if he's no longer a fed, he could do a lot of damage with what he does know."

"I'll get in touch with my sources in there and find out what's going on," the man said, "and I'll check out some of these other names too. If there's one bad agent, could be more of them."

"We'll keep this quiet until we know for sure," Jed said.

"Agreed."

* * *

Kelly pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store with the Rover and stepped out. She pulled her jacket closer around her, as a breeze rustled through the barren trees.

She walked in the store and saw Bonnie, reading a book.

"Hi there," Bonnie said, looking up, "How you doing?"

" Pretty good. How's the book?"

"Not bad, not as good as the real thing," Bonnie said, sighing.

"Hasn't Jed called you yet since the shin-ding?"

"No, I think I scared him off."

"I think he's just sorting out his feelings, Bonnie," Kelly said, "I know he really cares about you. He's just still thinking of his wife."

Bonnie shook her head.

"Sad what happened to her."

"What do you mean," Kelly said, "I never heard the story."

"I don't know much either," Bonnie said, "He hardly talks about her but you still know she's there right next to him."

"How'd she die?"

"She was hit by a car," Bonnie said, "Hit and run, they say. I don't think Jed thinks it's an accident."

"Did they ever find who did it?"

"I don't think so, or at least not that I heard," Bonnie said, "I think something was going on with his job as a cop and she paid for it with her life."

* * *

"This is Chris," she said answering her phone from the living room.

"Jonathon here. I've done some thinking and I think that I'm going to have to come down to Houston to talk with you and Matt."

"Thank you," she said, "When can you come down here?"

"Not right away," Jonathon said, "I've got to talk to a supervisor about C.J.'s case. For some reason, it ended up on some list of files he wanted to review."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Jonathon said, "I'm still waiting to hear back from the AG on whether her case will be officially approved in witness protection."

"I thought she'd already been approved," Chris said.

"Not officially yet, which is why she's where she's at," Dan said, "It also depends on the grand jury convening and there's not enough evidence yet to bring to one."

"When will you know for sure?"

"That depends on how the investigation into Piser's death proceeds," Jonathon said, "The FBI took it over and ordered more forensic work including toxicology and DNA sampling."

"What about what happened to her," Chris said.

Jonathon sighed.

"All we have is her testimony, it might be enough to indict on kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and other crimes if we ever find out who's responsible," he said, "But if we can locate a suspect in Piser's murder, we might be able to build a stronger case against probably the same perpetrators with a body."

"So you do think it's the same people involved?"

"Yes I do," Jonathon said, "But we're still a long way from finding them and a long way from proving it."

"Great, what if there's never a grand jury?"

"Chris, they're will be one. I'm not giving up on this," he said, "I owe C.J. that."

* * *

Kelly walked out with her groceries to the Rover. Just as she reached the car, she looked over to the diner nearby. She saw two men walking out of it together, then they walked in separate directions. One got into his vehicle and drove way.

Bonnie came up behind her.

"The taller one who just drove off looked just like Jed," she said, "Speak of the devil."

Kelly frowned.

"Yeah he did, didn't he?"

"What's the matter?"

"The other guy, I ran into at the diner the other day," Kelly said, "He was at the diner eating and I had dropped a photograph and he returned it."

"So what's wrong with that?"

Kelly shook her head.

"He just looked so out of place in this town," Kelly said.

Bonnie raised a brow then laughed.

"That's not always such a bad thing," she said.

While Bonnie walked back into the grocery store, Kelly watched the man until he disappeared.

* * *

Jonathon walked into Derek's office with the file in his hand. Derek gestured him to sit.

"So what's the problem with the file I requested," he said.

"The case is still open," Jonathon said, "It's under a more restricted security clearance than the others."

"The AG hasn't signed off on it as a case for witness protection."

"We're still waiting for that, "Jonathon said, "Hopefully in the next week or so."

"So you brought me the file then," Derek said.

"Why are you asking to see it," Jonathon asked, "I've got it handled on my end. The witness is in a safe and secure place until we need to extract her."

"That might be, but if you want the AG to expedite her status upgrade in the program, you're going to need me to sign off on it."

Jonathon looked at his boss.

"That's not how we've handled it in the past."

"These are special circumstances," Derek said, "If we nail these guys whoever they are, it could be soon and then what?"

"She'll have to testify at the grand jury."

"Exactly, and that will increase the danger for her and if we don't have the process lined up for relocation, it could put her life at risk."

"Her life's already at risk," Jonathon said.

"Clearly yes," Derek said, "Hence the need to expedite it and I can do that."

Jonathon hesitated, tightening the grip on the file in his hand.

"You and I have worked together for a long time in one capacity or another," Derek said, "You know I'm right about this."

Jonathon paused.

"I know you're right," Jonathon said, "Here's the file."

Derek took it from him and placed it on the desk.

"Thanks, I'll get on this one right away," Derek said, "Anything else?"

Jonathon shook his head.

"No, just tell me when you hear from the AG as soon as you know," he said.

After Jonathon left the office, Derek picked up the phone.

* * *

Matt and Chris leaned over the computer as she searched online for any information on the chimera. So far, most of the information described the history of the mythological creature that appeared in some form in many different cultures. They learned that the creature depicted in Kyra's sketch represented a more primitive version of what was a fearsome beast.

"There's nothing about it in association with any terrorist organization," Chris said.

"Maybe it's just never been identified through a public source of information."

"You're probably right," Chris said, then moved the cursor on the screen.

"I wonder what it signifies," Matt said, using his finger to outline a picture of the chimera, "You have three different animals melded together into one creature. A triad."

"Triads can also pertain to organizations," Chris said. "Gangs, families perhaps."

"Maybe it's the chimera itself," Matt said, "it's been used to describe in biology and genetics to describe combining DNA from two different species."

Chris looked at the screen.

"Yes I see for plants, animals and viruses," she said.

"Well, I'm going to fax a copy of Kyra's picture to Hoyt in L.A. and see what he can find out," Matt said, "And ask him if that phone number that came in my cell phone's been identified yet."

* * *

"So you obtained the information on the Parsons woman?"

"Yes, I got it right here right from the hands of the agent assigned to her case."

"Is he or she going to be a problem?"

"No, no, I don't think he suspected a thing. After all, he and I go back a long way."

"Good work, so where is she anyway?"

"First, I want a guarantee that I'll be well compensated for providing this information."

The man on the other end laughed.

"A mercenary at heart, I see as usual."

"A businessman like yourself who needs to put a down payment on a new house in the islands."

The man sighed.

"You will receive enough cash for several down payments at the agreed upon place."

"Thank you."

"So where is she been stashed by your agency?"

"'She' is hiding out as Kelly Reed somewhere near Silver Lode, Colorado."

"I'll send some men down there to pick her up. I'm bringing them in from out of country and they'll have to pinpoint her location and case the area."

"She'll be waiting there I promise."

"I trust you know the consequences if you betray me. Your wife and children will know them before you do if I need to remind you."

"I understand," he said and he did.

"It's been nice doing business with you."

Derek hung up the phone and interlinked his fingers, looking at the ceiling of his office then he picked up a picture of himself and his family out on a holiday on a sail boat and looked at it.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

I've been doing a lot of writing this weekend so here's another installment. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

She woke up and saw him sitting by her hospital bed, her hand in his own. She tried to move her head, but she felt strapped down. Tubes attached to an IV bag and wires attached to a heart monitor tugged on her arms and chest when she did move.

Matt woke with a start and looked down at C.J. who had regained consciousness after surgery to remove a bullet. He had sat in the waiting room for hours awaiting word from the surgeons who struggled to save her life. Finally, a man in teal scrubs with a face mask lowered around his neck opened the double doors into the waiting room and had told him that she had pulled through but that the next 24 hours or so would determine her fate. The wound had gotten infected and it had started spreading. Matt had asked to see her, the surgeon had nodded and said, for a few minutes because she needed her rest.

But they had allowed him to sit with her longer and he had fallen asleep.

"Hey you," her voice said weakly.

His head lifted up.

"You're awake," Matt said, "I should get the doctor."

"How's Peg doing? Is she back with her family?"

"I'm going to find Mercer and bring her back as soon as I know you're okay."

C.J. reached her hand up to stroke his cheek.

"I'm better now that you're here," she said. "What happened? I don't remember much."

He took her hand. It felt cold and he wrapped it up in both of his hands.

"You got shot by one of Mercer's men, but you're fine now. The doctor said you'll be back as good as new."

"I remember being walking out to the helicopter with Peg's blood sample for testing. Then something slammed into me and I fell. We were inside a van?"

Matt nodded.

"This young man, he had medical training. He kept you alive until we reached the hospital."

"You did that," C.J. said, "Now you have to leave and go save Peg before they kill her."

"As soon as I know you're fine."

She reached up to touch the stubble growing on his face with her fingers.

"I'm fine, now go on and do what you have to do. I'll be waiting here when you get back."

And so he did.

* * *

Matt woke with a start and faced the darkness of the room. He sank back on the bed, his mind thinking now that he was awake. Was the dream an omen? Was she hurt, sick some place? He rubbed his eyes with his hands.

Would he ever get any answers to what had happened to her while he had traveling around the world searching for himself? He had left a woman he loved at the altar and blamed himself for that and for putting her in harm's way. When she had told him the night she left him that his life had pushed her away, his first response had been defensive but now he wondered if there hadn't been truth in her words. And not just about Elizabeth. And if so, what was he going to do about that?

He got out of bed, flipped on the lamp and walked to his dresser, where he saw the box that Rhonda had given him that belonged to C.J. He picked it up and looked at it, wondering when C.J. had created it and why she had hidden it away in the cabin.

He walked back to his bed to take a better look at it.

* * *

Thea joined Kelly in the kitchen and brought them both a piece of pie and some tea.

"I hope I didn't wake you up," Kelly said, "I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep."

"Another nightmare?"

Kelly shook her head.

"Actually this one was nice," Kelly said, "Sometimes I think I hate those more."

"What was it about?"

"I was in a hospital bed and Matt was sitting by my side, talking to me."

"Was it based on any memory?"

Kelly smiled.

"Yeah, both of us have our share of battle wounds from our line of work. On one case, a girl from a wealthy family was brainwashed by a religious cult. We were hired to bring her back but she wouldn't leave. So we took some blood to prove they were drugging her but the cult leader didn't like that much so his men took a shot at us while we were leaving."

"And you were hit," Thea said, "How awful."

"We were held captive and Matt never left my side. It felt like being burned by a poker. I couldn't forget it no matter how much I tried. At one point, I felt myself slipping away and that pain disappeared. I saw myself lying on a cot and this young man doing CPR."

"You had an out-of-body experience," Thea said.

"It happened so quickly, then I felt Matt's hand in mine again. And I knew I had to hold onto it even if it meant the pain coming back."

Thea sipped her tea.

"I think your dream's telling you to just that," she said, "To hold on and don't let go no matter what."

Kelly closed her eyes.

"It's hard…I don't know if I'm ever going to be myself again."

"You'll find a way, as long as you remember to hold onto what you want and fight for it."

* * *

C.J. sat in the chair, waiting for her friend and Andre's man to return with Scott. Minutes slipped into hours and still they hadn't returned. Jonathon sat there, looking scared but trying hard not to show it. Andre had left them alone to conduct some business out of view.

"It's going to be okay, C.J.," Jonathon said, "We're going to get out of this."

"It's been hours. They should be back by now."

"They will be," Jonathon said, "Maybe they're having trouble finding him."

"Scott, what did he get himself into," C.J. said, putting her head in her hand.

"Whatever it is, it's pretty damn serious," Jonathon said, "These men are professionals who will kill anyone as soon as look at them."

"Scott, he's just a law student like Julia and me. I've known him for years. At least I thought I did."

"He's young, and young people, we do stupid things sometimes," Jonathon said.

"I hope Julia's okay with that man."

"She's safe right now because she's the only one who can find Scott."

C.J. looked at the young man she'd just met that evening.

"I'm so sorry about this," she said, "If I had known…"

"You would have come on your own to help your friend," he said, "No, I'm glad you weren't alone to deal with this."

"Thank you for that," C.J. said, "I just don't understand what Scott could have that's worth killing over."

"Or dying over," Jonathon said, "If it's true he has what they want, he must have known that put him in danger, not to mention his friends."

C.J. looked at her hands.

"Scott's a great guy, he's popular and very smart," she said, "But I don't know, his judgment's not always good."

"This is more than bad judgment if he's willing to endanger his friends for any reason," Jonathon said, then looked at her, "I'm sorry, I know he's your friend and I've never met him."

"We're not great friends. I know him through Matt mostly. But the two of them are so different from each other."

"Ah, your best friend," Jonathon said, "The one in the military."

"Yeah, he would never do anything to risk anyone's life, especially those he cared about."

"Including you."

C.J. shrugged.

"He's got lots of friends and people to care about," she said, "That's the kind of person he is."

Both of them looked up to see Andre enter the room, with a tray of food and some soda poured in glasses.

"I brought some refreshments," he said, "I hope you enjoy them while we continue our conversation."

"Why would we eat anything you give us," Jonathon said, "You could have drugged or poisoned it."

"True," Andre said, "but if I did either, this evening would be over before it just got started and the party's just begun."

* * *

Matt looked at the box, while sitting on the bed. It wasn't heavy but when he opened it up, he found that it was filled with papers, many of which had been folded up into smaller pieces. He didn't know what he was looking for or why he had taken the box. Right now, it was the only connection he had to her.

He pulled out a post card of some snow capped mountains and flipped it over.

_C.J., _

_Thanks for your post card. Here's one from my home state. We have mountains like this around our ranch just off the path towards Silver Lode. We're readying the cattle for market and my mom is hosting one of her big parties to celebrate the 4__th__. Everyone in the valley will be coming out for it. You know you're invited. It would make my mom really happy if you'd come. _

_I think I missed the ranch more than I thought I would. I know I don't want to be a rancher but I guess I had more of it running in my blood than I thought. _

_Take care, _

_Love, Jonathon_

He discovered that most of the contents were letters that she had received from other people, including Julia. He caught snatches of what had been written but stopped reading after a few lines because it made him uncomfortable before moving onto the next.

_Dear C.J.,_

_I'm glad your summer job is working out. I think I found my summer gig. I'm volunteering at a women's crisis center and I love it. I don't need the money so it's great. _

_I think this is what I really want to do with my life and going to Harvard and getting the JD will make a big difference in what we can do. I can't wait until we start our first year in the fall…_

_*****  
_

_Hey girlfriend,_

_I'm off to the law library to do some studying for finals. Hopefully, I won't see you know who. I can't even say his name right now. I hope your dinner with Jonathon goes well. He's a great guy and very cute. No, you didn't get off to the best start but I think things could work out between the two of you. _

_Thanks for the herbal tea. It helped a lot. I really wish this cold would go away. _

_******  
_

_C.J., _

_Thanks for your letter and phone calls as always. I'm doing much better. The chemo's taking my hair but the doctor says it's helping get rid of the cancer. The first tests have come back good. I might be down for a while, but I'll be back. Maybe even returning to Harvard some day and finish law school. _

_I really hope you don't give up and reconsider quitting law school. I know you're having a tough time with what happened to us but the world needs lawyers like you. Even if our dream of a law firm doesn't work out, I'll be cheering you on every step of the way. Don't let what happened take that away from you or else they win. _

_And don't be afraid to tell him what happened and what you're feeling. I know he genuinely cares for you and you need to tell him the truth like you told me. We've got one life that's given us like a gift and it's up to us to make the most of it…_

_******  
_

Quitting law school?

C.J. had never mentioned that to him. In fact, she had tackled her Harvard education with an almost single-minded determination. And what had happened to her and Julia? He hadn' t seen much of her during that summer after her first year because he hadn't gotten much military leave. And when they had spent time together, she focused her attention on him and what he had been doing. Come to think of it, she hadn't shared much about herself. He remembered trying to elicit more information out of her about law school but she had changed the subject.

And who was she afraid to talk to? He and C.J. had kept few secrets from each other, as long as they knew each other. However, she clearly had kept some tucked away for a long time inside a small box hidden inside the cabin his father had given him. Was it Jonathon that she had been afraid to be honest with?

Back then, she had been going out with a man by that name who worked at the same restaurant she had. She hadn't talked much about him either. They had double dated a few times when Matt was in town to visit and Jonathon had been very nice and treated C.J. well. Still, the two of them never really became friends.

Matt was about to return the letters to the box where they belonged until he saw something else at the bottom of it. It was an envelope written with C.J.'s name on it. He picked it up and for some reason he couldn't explain, put it aside on the bed side table.

* * *

Kelly and Thea made breakfast as Jed and the other ranch hands wandered into the kitchen.

"Smells good," Jed said, "You make the best Denver omelets."

"My husband taught me," Thea said, "We used to go to this diner while on our honeymoon. The cook there gave us his own recipe after Gordon delivered his mare's foal."

"You can never get away from the ranch no matter where you go," Jed said.

"I've not been away from it much since I married Gordon," Thea said, "But there's no other place on this earth I'd rather be."

"It's beautiful here," Kelly said, "A lot different from Texas."

"We're all ranchers underneath no matter where we're from."

The men nodded, as Thea scooped up the omelets to put on their plates.

"So what's up today," she asked.

"I think we're going to start bringing in the quarter horses and some of the yearlings," Jed said, "The storm's still a ways off but better safe than sorry."

"What about the ones on the far side?"

"They can wait a day or so," Jed said, "They're mustangs after all."

"I'll help," Kelly said, bringing her food to the table.

Jed nodded.

"The more hands, the better."

"I talked to Bonnie yesterday in town," Kelly said.

"How's she doing?"

"Just fine, we thought we someone who looked like you leaving the diner," Kelly said.

Jed paused.

"I was in town for a spell, doing some errands," he said, "I ran into an old friend."

* * *

Matt poured himself another cup of coffee and returned to the living room where Chris was sitting at her lap top computer.

"Have you found out anything else," Matt said.

She shook her head.

"Nothing specific to any known gang or organization," she said.

"Maybe it's a new one," Matt said, "Maybe that's what the chimera means. Maybe each animal represents a separate entity."

"I could try to look up each one," Chris said.

"I was looking through the items in the box that Rhonda found at the cabin."

Chris looked up.

"You mean the one that belongs to C.J."

"Yes," Matt said, "I read parts of some of the letters that she received from her friend, Julia."

"The one who died about a year or so ago?"

Matt nodded.

"I think the time C.J. was in law school and I was in the military were the only times that we weren't really in touch with each other."

"You were on opposite ends of the world," Chris said, "The important thing is that you did reconnect when you both came home."

"I know, but it's clear in the letters that there were some major events in her life that she's never told me about."

"Were they bad things?"

"She was thinking about dropping out of law school for a while after her first year," Matt said.

Chris frowned.

"That doesn't sound like her at all," she said, "But from what I've heard first year law is pretty tough especially at a school like Harvard's."

"I think something else happened that year," Matt said, "Julia wrote that if C.J. quit law school, it would be letting them win."

"Who's 'they'?"

"I wish I knew the answer to that question," Matt said.

* * *

Jed took out his cell phone while walking into the barn and made a call.

"Hello Jed, if you're calling about…"

"No, not that. She saw us outside the diner yesterday."

"Did she tell you this," the man said.

"Yes, she was at the grocery store and she and the owner, Bonnie both saw us."

"Did she say anything else?"

"No, I told her I had in town running some errands and ran into an old friend."

"Damn, I told her when I ran into her the other day that I was in town on business."

"I think I need to talk to her," Jed said, "And explain what's going on."

"It's too soon for that," the man said, "You can't lose your perspective. If you tell her the truth now, it might do more harm than good."

"I know that, but I think she trusts me and I don't want to lose that."

The man sighed.

"You've gone soft, Jed in your retirement," the man said, "And that could cost a couple of lives if I'm right and there's some agents on the payroll of these thugs who are trying to find her."

Jed heard footsteps behind him of someone coming into the barn.

"Someone's coming, I'll talk to you later," Jed said, shutting his phone.

"Hi Jed," Kelly said, "I thought I'd get Sienna ready and start with the yearlings."

"Frisco's out in the far pasture," Jed said, "We probably won't get to him today."

"He'll be fine, at least he can't wander off anymore since the fence's been fixed."

"Oh he'll figure out another way to escape soon," Jed said, with a laugh, "We'd better get going."

* * *

Matt was ready to leave the house to head to the office when his cell phone rang.

"Hoyt, do you have good news?"

"It depends on which you want to hear first."

"Okay shoot," Matt said, "I'm on my way to the office to meet again with Murray over some tax forms."

"I got a fix on where that dropped call that you received originated."

"Where?"

"It came from a payphone in a an old mining town, Silver Lode," Hoyt said.

"That sounds familiar, where is it?"

"Southern Colorado, in a valley surrounded by mountain ranges."

"Thanks, I'll see what I can find out with that information," Matt said.

"It might have been a wrong number and had nothing to do with C.J."

"I know, Hoyt but I have to start somewhere. "

"In my other news, another round of forensic tests came back on the explosive device from the DOJ lab."

"Are they closer to identifying the organization that's responsible?"

"Yes, like I told you, it's one that the FBI and other agencies believed they had busted a while back."

"I guess they know now they were wrong," Matt said.

Hoyt hesitated.

"Houston, it's not that simple."

"What do you mean it's not that sample," Matt said, "Who's responsible?"

"It might be a name that's familiar to you or at least the man who was in charge of the terrorist group."

"Who is it," Matt asked.

"Marquis Duval Jr."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Here's another installment.

* * *

"Oh my god," Matt said after Hoyt gave him the news.

"I thought that might get your attention."

"My testimony sent him to prison," Matt said, "But not before his father, Marquis, Sr. kidnapped C.J. and me and held us captive on his island fortress. They used her life to get me to do what they wanted."

"Which was to recant your testimony and get his son released."

"Yes."

"That was when Lt. Novelli was in the department, wasn't it?"

"He and I staged an argument to get Duval's men off the track," Matt said, "because they were watching us."

"Both Duvals are still in prison, aren't they?"

"Last I heard, Marquis, Sr. was dying of cancer in the prison's medical ward," Matt said, "His son's locked up in another prison for the rest of his life."

"So who's running the organization now?"

"I don't know Hoyt," Matt said, "After both Duvals were locked up, the feds went after the rest of the organization. Most of the active members are now in prison."

"It wouldn't be the first time an organization came back to life after being broken up," Hoyt said, "It's like striking the heads of a Hydra."

"Maybe so, but which of the new heads is leading it now?"

* * *

Several thousand miles away…

"Did you hire the men," the man asked.

"They're on their way into the country," his companion said, "They're some of the best."

"Good, we'll brief them when they arrive and then send them out."

"What will the instructions be?"

"Get the woman and bring her back to me unharmed. Kill anyone else who gets in the way."

"Is there anything else you need done?"

"Yes, I have several other jobs for your men to carry out," the man said, "To tie up a couple of loose ends."

* * *

Kelly and Jed rode their horses and met up with Reed and several other ranch hands. Ahead of them, were the yearlings in the meadow, finishing up their morning alfalfa hay.

"It's not going to be that hard," Jed said, "You and Reed take that group and Kelly and I will round up the others."

Reed tipped his hat and rode off with the other riders.

"I'll take the rear and you stick up front," Jed said.

Kelly nodded.

Jed opened the gate and they rode their horses through, heading towards the young horses which stopped eating and watched them approach.

Kelly rode up to the group.

* * *

C.J. and Jonathon sat in the living room, as one of Andre's men approached him and talked to him. Andre looked at the two of them, then returned to his conversation. He looked angry.

"What's wrong," C.J. asked.

"It looks like they're not having any luck finding your friend."

"I don't know where he'd be," C.J. said, "Why would he run off and leave Julia with these thugs?"

"Hopefully, he's gone to the police," Jonathon said.

"Wouldn't they be here by now?"

"Probably," Jonathon said, "We've got to get out of here."

"He's got at least four men, with guns," C.J. said.

"They're must be another way out of this place."

Andre walked up to them.

"It seems that your friend is proving to be quite elusive," Andre said, "He's not at his place."

"Maybe he's gone to the police," Jonathon said.

"That would be a grave mistake if he did," Andre said, "And you would play the price instead for his error in judgment."

Jonathon and C.J. looked at each other.

"Your friend, Julia will be returning soon to join you," Andre said, "Then we'll decide what happens next."

"Why don't you just let us go and we'll forget this ever happened," Jonathon said.

"I can't," Andre said, "If Scott or my man doesn't return with the merchandise, I will exact a payment in return."

"What kind of payment," C.J. asked, "None of us have any money."

"He took something of mine and I'm going to take something of his," Andre said.

"What do you mean?"

"You will see soon enough," Andre said, gesturing to two of his men, "Take him."

C.J. stood up.

"Where are you taking him," she said.

"I'm not leaving her alone with you," Jonathon said.

"I'm sorry, you don't have any choice in the matter," Andre said.

The two men grabbed Jonathon and pulled him out of the chair. He pushed one of them off of him and the man crashed on the ground. The other man took out his handgun and hit him on the head. He fell on the floor.

"Don't hurt him!"

C.J. fell on the ground and sat beside him.

"Want us to kill him," Andre said, "I could order those two men to take him out in back and shoot him. Or they could do it right here in front of you."

Jonathon lay on the ground, blood flowing out if his mouth, dazed. He shook his head at C.J. and she stroked his head.

"Your choice, Ms Parsons," Andre said, "Does he live or does he die?"

She looked up at him, eyes glaring.

"Please don't kill him," C.J. said, "We'll do whatever you want."

"I know you will do whatever I want," Andre said, "Go lock up the gentleman in the basement for now."

"I'll be okay," C.J. whispered to Jonathon. "And I'll try to find a way for us to get out of here."

The two men grabbed him and dragged him out of the room.

C.J. got up and walked to the couch. Andre sat across from her.

"Now that it's just the two of us, we'll wait until your friend returns."

* * *

Kelly blinked and saw one of the chestnut yearlings standing in front of her. She clucked to Sienna and the mare moved towards the yearling, prodding it to join the rest of the group. The yearling snorted and pawed the ground.

"Come on girl," Kelly said, "Tell her it's okay, it's safe to come with us."

Sienna neighed in return and finally, it turned around and moved towards the herd.

Jed rode up and gathered the rest of them and they moved them slowly across the meadow towards the gate.

"Jed, who was that guy you were talking to, yesterday?"

Jed kept his head forward.

"An old friend."

"I ran into him while I was at the diner the other day and he said he was in town on business."

"That makes sense. He's a businessman."

"What kind of business," Kelly asked.

He turned to look at her.

"You're filled with questions today, aren't you?"

"He just seemed out of place," she said, "And I've learned to be wary of people and things that don't fit."

"Fair enough," Jed said, "He might take that as a compliment. For years, he spent his days trying to fit in with the world around him, to disappear into the scenery and never liked it."

"What did he do," Kelly said.

Jed looked at Kelly for a while then made a decision.

"I'll explain back at the ranch."

* * *

At his office, Matt told Chris and Dan about the phone call from Hoyt. Chris' face turned pale and Dan shook his head.

"It's definitely time to bring in the feds," he said. "If the Marquis are as bad as you say they are."

"Oh they are," Matt said, "but both of them are locked up with the keys thrown away so someone else must have taken their places."

"Who do you think could pull it off," Dan said.

"It would have to be someone who knew them very well," Matt said, "Someone they'd trust with the family business."

"Maybe they just sold their inventory off to the highest bidder," Dan said.

"Could be," Matt said, "It looks like we're going to have to go visit them and find out."

Dan held up his hand.

"Now wait a minute," he said, "These are professional killers, the son's a known terrorist."

"I can call the guy I know," Chris said, "And see when he's flying out to Houston."

"It's going to have to be soon, Chris," Matt said, "I don't know why but I have the feeling that time's running out here."

"I'll give him another call," Chris said then left.

"What about the local police," Dan said.

Houston sighed.

"The only person they've taken into custody so far for this whole mess was me."

Dan nodded.

"Okay, we'll give Chris' contact a try and then decide what to do next."

"I'm going to decide what to do right now," Matt said, "I'm not waiting for the feds to decide it's time to do what they needed to do months ago."

"Why don't I like the sound of that?"

"Because you're probably not going to like what I'm thinking."

* * *

Kelly and Jed herded the yearlings back to the corrals closer to the ranch. They met up with Reed and the other ranch hands who arrived with another small herd.

"Good work, guys," Jed said, after they guided the horses in the corral and closed the gates.

"We still got that batch out by the furthest meadow tomorrow and that's a tougher bunch," Reed said.

"We'll head on out in a day or so on them," Jed said, "We've got to deal with some other issues tomorrow."

Reed nodded and he and the other men rode off.

Jed gestured towards Kelly to follow him to the barn. They dismounted and tied up their horses in front.

"So who's your friend, really," Kelly said, folding her arms.

Jed paused.

"He's a retired federal agent."

"How do you know him and what's he doing here?"

"Some years ago, I worked as a police officer back East. I did a lot of undercover and busted a lot of bad guys. Narcotics operations. Gambling rings. Gangs. I thought I was really tough."

"What changed your mind," Kelly said.

"I asked for an assignment in the organized crimes division and worked cases there," Jed said, "I found out quickly enough that sometimes it's difficult to tell how to separate the good guys from the bad guys."

"Meaning that there were crooked cops?"

Jed nodded.

"I found out that members of my department were in with the mobsters," he said, "It became difficult to trust anyone so many of them had been bought off or even actively involved in the crimes."

"So what did you do," Kelly said.

"I tried to uncover everything I could get on both the criminals with and without badges and expose them," Jed said, "I paid a very high price for doing that."

"I heard your wife was killed," Kelly said, "I'm very sorry."

"She died because of what I was doing," Jed said, "That's when I realized that the stakes were getting too damn high."

"I'm sorry Jed," Kelly said.

" I can live with risking my own life."

"But it's harder to deal with risking the lives of others," Kelly said, "including those that you love most."

"You understand the choice I had to make?"

Kelly nodded.

"I'm not in a position to judge anyone for the choices they had to make," she said, "I'm the last person to do that."

"This man and I have been trying to help you get home," Jed said, "I know what it's like to never be able to go home again. That shouldn't have to be you."

"I didn't want to give up my life," Kelly said, "I really want it back."

""I think I can help you do that if you just trust me."

* * *

"Chris, It's Jonathon."

"Thanks for calling back," Chris said, "Houston's not here right now. When will you be coming in?"

"I've got some things to straighten out here," Jonathon said, "We're hoping the AG signs off on C.J.'s witness status."

"Is your supervisor helping you with that?"

"Yes, he took the file information and said he'd sign off on it to expedite things," Jonathon said.

"That's good, right?"

"It should help," Jonathon said, "It's just the change of protocol that caught me by surprise."

"Jonathon, Houston found out that the explosive device tossed in my living room was traced back to Marquis Duval."

"Yes, the forensics came in on that," Jonathon said, "It wasn't a surprise based on information we had but we're not sure they're directly involved."

"What information?"

"From other sources," Jonathon said, quickly, "We were going to send in agents to interrogate both men but we're going to let the FBI handle that."

"You need to come here and explain that to Houston what you've been doing," Chris said, "It's not right to keep this secret from him."

"It's only being done to protect C.J.," Jonathon said, "We don't want whoever's responsible for all this to find her."

"What if that happens anyway," Chris said, "then what?"

She received no response.

* * *

"Matt, think about this a minute," Dan said, "If you go to the prison to talk to Duval, you could put her life at even greater risk."

"She's already at risk, Dan."

"You need to talk to this fed first," Dan said, "And find out what's really going on here."

"Well, I plan to do that too."

"There could be a situation going on that we're not aware of where anything we do can jeopardize it."

Matt paused.

"You're right," he said, "I want to talk to this guy first and then I'll talk with the Duvals."

"He should be flying in this day or the next, depending on his schedule."

"That's fine."

"I know you're upset and you have every right to be," Dan said, "But we need more information from these guys before we can proceed."

Matt's cell phone rang.

"Hi Uncle Roy."

"How are things going out there?"

"We're fine if that's what you're asking," Matt said, "No more bombs, fake or otherwise."

"This isn't a joke Matt."

"I know that," Matt said, "Did you know the Duvals may be involved?"

"Hoyt mentioned it in passing," Roy said, "Any more information on that front?"

"No, the FBI is planning on interrogating them. But they could have sold their operation to someone else when they went to prison."

"Yeah, that's possible."

"How are things going with Scott?"

Roy sighed.

"That's why I called you," he said, "He's flying out to Houston."

"Why?"

"I tried to stop him but he's suspicious Matt," Roy said, "You'd better be careful what you say to him, nephew."

"I plan to be, "Matt said, "But if he had anything to do with what happened to C.J., all bets are off."

* * *

Kelly and Jed sat in the kitchen drinking coffee.

"So what can you do to help me," she asked.

"When you escaped, you took a computer disk with you," Jed said.

Kelly's eyes widened.

"How did you know about that?"

"I found it in your jacket when they brought you here."

"I thought I'd lost it in the river," Kelly said, "I grabbed the jacket off of someone and I slipped the disk in its pocket."

"I gave it to my friend and he's been trying to retrieve information off of it."

"Why didn't you tell me you found it," Kelly said, "Why have you been acting like nothing's happened?"

"Because I knew that it was more likely the disk was too damaged to provide much if any information."

Kelly rubbed her eyes.

"It was so hard to get it," she said, "But I couldn't leave without some evidence it wasn't all just a nightmare."

"What were you going to do with it?"

"I didn't know," Kelly said, "All I could think was calling Jonathon."

"And that's how you wound up here," Jed said, "You're in his program."

"Kind of," Kelly said, "Jonathon hasn't gotten final clearance yet."

"When was that supposed to happen?"

"I don't know. I know he's trying his best to protect me but it's hard waiting for everything to happen," Kelly said, "So has your contact been able to found anything."

Jed hesitated.

"Not very much, because you're right, the disk was badly damaged," he said, "But there's some bad news."

"What?"

"One of the files he accessed had a list of names and dollar signs," Jed said, "Clients perhaps or people on a pay roll."

"And you found a crooked cop?"

"No, something much worse," Jed said, "a crooked federal agent who might be working in Jonathon's division."

* * *

Jonathon sat in his office, filling out the paperwork and awaiting the phone call from Derek that the AG had signed off on C.J.'s witness protection.

Brad stepped in the office.

"Hey boss, I have that file from the Miami case finished," he said, handing it to Jonathon.

"Thanks, I don't know why we're picking up the slack for South East but they've been overloaded down there with the drug rings."

"The FBI also called and is giving you the heads up on their plans to interview both Marquis Duval and his son in the next several days."

"It's going to be a nightmare if either one of them's involved in this situation."

"I'm about to take off for the day, unless there's any other cases to finish."

Jonathon shook his head.

"No, you can leave. I'll finish up here," he said, "Is Derek still in his office by chance?"

Brad shook his head.

"He took off earlier. Said he had some errands to run."

Jonathon sat in his office wondering if his questions for his supervisor could wait, deciding they might have to until the morning.

* * *

Derek entered into the train station and walked towards the room where they kept the storage lockers for riders to rent by the hour. Looking around, he hurried down the center of the nearly empty terminal. Rush hour had come and gone and only a few stragglers milled around or sat on the benches waiting for their trains.

He passed vendors selling hot dogs and sandwiches in a rush, in a hurry to get his money and then leave. He entered the room and walked up to the counter. The walls around it were lined with lockers.

"May I help you sir," the man said.

"I'd like the key to locker 7."

The man looked at him quizzically.

"It's my lucky number," Derek said.

The man smiled.

"Then this is your lucky day," he said, handing Derek the key.

Derek walked over to the locker and slipped the key into the slot and turned it. The door sprung open and he saw a box inside. He smiled and reached to grab it, then frowned when he saw what looked like a clock with digital numbers.

5 seconds…4 seconds...three...two

"What the..." became Derek's unwritten epitath.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

* * *

"Scott's on his way here," Dan said.

"Yeah, My uncle told me that he's heading out to Houston to handle some business."

"What kind of business," Dan said, "How to steal the company blind and fiddle with the books?"

"I'm not sure that was his primary objective," Matt said, "Murray said the books came back clean after several thorough audits covering every corner of the company."

"So what was he up to?"

"I don't know, but I've got a feeling he had something to do with C.J.'s disappearance," Matt said, "He's the last known person to see her."

"You think he's holding out on you?"

Matt nodded.

"I'm sure of it. I just don't know why."

The waitress came to take their orders at the booth where they were seated then left them. They were catching dinner at a local sports bar and restaurant.

"I know he's a good friend of yours," Dan said.

"I thought so," Matt said, "But C.J. didn't seem to like him after law school and I shouldn't have ignored that."

"Did the two of them have some sort of falling out?"

"Maybe, but I wasn't there when it happened."

Chris walked up and sat down in the booth next to her boyfriend, who put his arm around her.

"Sorry I'm late. The traffic is awful this time of day."

"We just got here ourselves," Dan said.

"I see the Oilers aren't going to break their losing streak," Chris said, catching a glance at the television.

"There's still time to change your wager," Dan said, "

Chris laughed.

"No way, I'm an Oilers fan to the end."

"So when's the guy flying out from D.C.," Dan asked.

"He's coming to try to catch a flight in tomorrow," Chris said.

"That's great, hopefully he can provide us with some useful information," Dan said.

"I have some questions for him," Matt said, "I hope he's up to answering them."

"I think he'll try his best, Houston," Chris said.

Suddenly her face paled and she put her hand over her mouth as she stared straight ahead. The others turned their heads to see what had grabbed her attention.

"Oh no!"

* * *

Kelly and Jed continued talking while walking the rows of stalls in the barn and feeding the horses.

"So what are we going to do with this information," Kelly asked.

"I'm waiting for my contact to call me back with confirmation that this guy's with the DOJ."

"When will that be?"

"It shouldn't be much longer," Jed said.

"If this person works with Jonathon, they're going to find out that I'm here."

"We don't know if this guy is assigned to witness protection or even to the U.S. Marshal's division."

"But if he is, then he's there to find me," Kelly said, "And if he does that, they're going to kill anyone who gets in their way."

"We don't know that for sure," Jed said, "We need to wait until we know for sure what's going on and then contact Jonathon."

"If anything happened to anyone at the ranch, I don't think I could ever live with that."

"Kelly, you are not the bad person here," Jed said, "These men who did this to you are evil and we're never going to let them find you."

Kelly shook her head.

"I think it's just time for me to leave here," Kelly said, "I can't let anything happen to anyone else."

Jed grabbed Kelly's arm to stop her. She flinched and he released her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "But if you leave now on your own, you're as good as dead."

"I can't spend my whole life hiding away," Kelly said, "A part of me has died already."

* * *

C.J. sat on the couch, watching Andre. He was standing in the doorway of the living room on the phone again. She pulled her coat around her, feeling chilled. Her hand slipped in the pocket and she felt a folded piece of paper.

Her letter to Matt.

She held onto it, wondering if she would ever mail it. If she would ever leave this house and see him again. She wondered where they had taken Jonathon and if he was hurt. She had listened for gunshots but they never came, then she had turned her thoughts inward. Her eyes cased the room that held her, the house remained a stranger. Even if she could escape, where would she go and how would she find Jonathon?

Andre walked back in the room and sat on the chair next to the couch.

"It looks like Julia's on her way back and her boyfriend's nowhere to be found."

"I'm glad he got away," C.J. said.

"You have way too much confidence in a man like Scott," Andre said, "It's a pity your friend didn't choose better."

"There's a lot worse choices out there than Scott," C.J. said, "As I'm sure you would understand."

Andre smiled.

"And what about you," he asked, "What are your choices?"

C.J. stared back at him.

"You'll find out soon just how limited your choices are," Andre said, reaching to stroke her hair, "if you want your friends to live."

C.J. learned away. He grabbed her arm.

"Stubborn, aren't you," Andre said, "That'll make it more enjoyable."

Two men walked into the living room with Julia.

"Now that you are both here," Andre said, "We'll sit down and negotiate what the cost of your friend's betrayal to me is going to be and who's going to pay the price."

* * *

"Why would anyone blow up a train station," Chris asked, shaking her head in disbelief, "it's not even the busiest period of the day."

All three of them watched the television in the bar as the screen showed police officers and fire fighters running into the building effusing billows of dark smoke. A breaking news notification had interrupted the game and the groans of the viewers were replaced by gasps at the images which appeared on the screen. A news anchor said that earlier, there had been an explosion at the train station in Washington, D.C. At least two people had died and others were injured but the majority of the people inside the building had fled the scene without injury.

"It looks like most of the smoke's coming from the rear of the station," Dan said, "That's probably where the explosive device was planted."

"Hey listen," Chris said. An older man in uniform stood next to a news reporter in front of the building.

"We're sending out an FBI squad of investigators and a specialized arson unit. At this moment, it's premature to identify which individual or organization is responsible for the explosion. The investigators will also be reviewing surveillance video taken inside the station including the area where the intensity of the blast was located."

"Where did the explosion take place," the news reporter asked.

"It's believed that the explosion took place in a storage room near the rear of the terminal. Inside this room are lockers which can be rented by passengers and visitors for their luggage."

"How many people could have been in that area during the explosion?"

The man sighed.

"It's too early to tell. Working for us is the fact that this tragedy didn't happen during peak hour rail traffic so the number of people in that area would likely be much fewer than at the station's busiest times."

"The world's getting crazy," Chris said.

"The building's still standing," Dan said, "It's seems more like a localized explosion."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Matt said, "Why if you're terrorists, target only one section of the station?"

Dan shook his head.

"I don't know," he said, "Maybe this isn't an act of terrorism."

"I wonder who or what this brand of explosive will be traced to," Matt said.

"You're not thinking…"

"I have a really bad feeling about this," Matt said.

Dan and Chris looked at him.

* * *

Jonathon prepared to lock up his office when another agent came running up to him.

"What's going on," Jonathon asked, "I was about to leave for the day and I'm headed out to Texas on a case tomorrow."

"Did you hear about the explosion at the train station," the man asked.

"Yes, I got a briefing on it," Jonathon said, "I know the FBI's forensic units have been dispatched to the scene."

"They sent Edward out from our division."

Jonathon frowned.

"Why, what's our involvement," he said, "Do they know who's responsible yet?"

"No, nothing," the agent said, "But the AG wants someone from our team."

"Shouldn't that be Derek?"

"Yeah, but no one can find him."

* * *

"I talked to Jonathon," Chris said, "He's flying out soon. He'll be town tomorrow morning."

"Did he say anything about the explosion," Dan said, "It's close to where he's based."

"He said that the FBI and local police were all over it," Chris said, "The ATF will be sending a team in tomorrow."

"How many people were killed," Matt asked.

"A few bodies found so far but they were in bad shape so they were close to the blast," Chris said, "He said that the majority of the people got out safely."

"Who did it?"

Chris shook her head.

"He said they didn't know yet," she said, "They hope that's where some of the experts in the ATF can help them."

"They clearly didn't want to kill a lot of people, or else they would have timed it during peak hours," Matt said.

"Yeah, Jonathon wondered about that too," Chris said, "Maybe they were after a specific target but no employees were killed. The guy working the room closest to the blast was in the bathroom."

"A tragedy that could have been a lot worse," Dan said.

"Unless whoever's responsible is just getting started," Matt said.

* * *

Kelly sat in her bedroom, thinking about her conversation with Jed. Should she trust him? Was there really a chance that she could go back? What would she go back to and would anyone even know what she'd become?

She heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said.

Thea walked in with some blankets.

"It's getting colder at night upstairs," she said.

"Thanks," she said, taking the blankets.

"Jonathon called," Thea said, "He's on his way out of town tomorrow to work on a case."

"How is he?"

"Busy, always busy," Thea said, "You know I doubted him when he first said he wanted to work for the federal government. That wasn't the son I knew."

"He changed a lot, didn't he?"

"Yes, but in good ways," Thea said, "He's so sure of himself but not with some of the bravado he had when he was younger. I never knew where that side of him came from."

"He's been very good to me," Kelly said.

"He does care about you."

"I know that," Kelly said, "It didn't work out between us but he's still important to me."

Thea smiled.

"You're important to all of us here," she said, "I hope you know that."

Kelly nodded.

"He did talk about that horrible explosion that happened in D.C.," Thea said.

"What explosion?"

"It hit the train station," Thea said, "Fortunately few deaths but Jonathon said a lot of agencies are involved in the investigation."

"Do they know what caused it?"

"They say it was deliberate, but probably not a large-scale terrorist attack, thank goodness," Thea said, "Still it's terrible for those people who were killed or injured."

"How awful."

"It makes you realize how fragile life is," Thea said, "How it can be taken away just like that in a split second. It reminds you that people matter, not the things that seem so important."

Kelly nodded, slowly.

* * *

A while ago….

"Can I join you counselor?"

C.J. looked up to see Matt approaching and smiled.

"Sure," she said. He stood next to her on the helipad outside the penthouse suite, looking out at the breathtaking scenery of Los Angeles' nightlife.

"I hate these fancy shin-dings," Matt said, tugging at the bow tie on his tuxedo.

C.J. laughed.

"Then why do you keep hosting them?"

"This one was a favor for Murray receiving that award from the National Association of Overworked Accountants or something," Matt said, "He seriously needs to loosen up like this more often."

"Only Murray would consider attending a black tie affair, 'loosening up'."

"True," Matt said, "So how've things been going? I know we need to catch up since we've been on different tracks."

C.J. looked down.

"Fine, I know you've been busy since you got engaged to Elizabeth," she said, "I've been busy too."

"Yes, you've been working with a new project with the company," Matt said, "Are you sure that's what you really want?"

C.J. nodded.

"I need the change," she said.

"I thought you liked working with the agency," Matt said.

"I do, I just need a break that's all," she said, "Besides Roy's been helping you and Murray really needed my help on this."

"Sure, if that's what's really going on here?"

She turned around to face him.

"Why wouldn't it be," she said.

C.J.'s phone rung and she answered it, talking softly. She looked up at Matt.

"I've got to take this," she said, walking away, "Excuse me"

Matt watched her leave as the physical distance grew between them much as they've grown apart in other ways, wondering what to do about that.

* * *

Matt frowned while sitting in his office. Chris walked in with some more papers.

"I think I'm finished with this batch," she said, plopping them on his desk.

"I'm sorry it's so late but something just occurred to me," Matt said, "Murray told me that C.J. had been working on a project for him some months ago. She started just after I got engaged to Elizabeth."

"Oh yeah, Murray was having them audit some subsidiary companies under Houston Enterprises."

"Why aren't there any reports on those audits?"

"I don't know," Chris said, "Murray said that the audits of those companies were never actually finished."

"Was Scott working on the audits," Matt said, "He's got a background in accounting too."

"He certainly was interested in it as I remember."

"C.J. spent a lot of time on them," Matt said, "I hardly ever saw her."

"You were busy too."

"I had a pretty heavy caseload with the agency," Matt said, "but I shouldn't ever be that busy."

"Maybe Scott knows more about the audit," Chris said, "He can shed some light when he gets here."

"Scott is going to have a lot of questions to answer including about this audit that I wasn't notified about until I got back."

"I know that you two have a long history."

"We do. Our fathers knew each other for a long time and were close friends."

"Maybe there's a reasonable explanation for his actions."

Matt shook his head.

"I think we both know that's not the case with Scott," he said, "And I'm wondering if this is the first time he's tossed himself in with bad characters."

"What do you mean," Chris asked.

"I was reading some of the letters in that box that belonged to C.J. and I think they have something to do with the fallout between Scott and C.J. back when they're at Harvard."

"What happened?"

"I don't know, but something happened that C.J. thought about dropping out of law school and I can't help think that Scott had something to do with that."

* * *

"Did you know Scott was transferring out of Harvard to Yale?"

Matt and C.J. walked down the street to meet Julia and some other friends for brunch. Julia woke up that morning not feeling well, but blamed it on her hangover. C.J. worried about her friend, but Julia shrugged off her words of concern.

"Yeah, I heard about it," she said, "Yale might be more to his liking."

"He wasn't at the party last night."

C.J. looked down at her hands.

"I didn't notice," she said.

"What happened between him and Julia," Matt said, "I spoke with her and she never mentioned one word about him. It's like he didn't exist."

C.J. shrugged.

"You know Julia, she's like that with guys. She and Scott have broken up and gotten back together a dozen times at least."

"But you said last night, this time would be the last time."

"I could be wrong," she said, turning around to face him, "Why are you reading so much into this?"

"Because I've never seen you so quiet, C.J.," Matt said, "It's like something's turned off inside of you and I don't know why."

C.J. tilted her head.

"There's nothing to know," she said. "It's just been a really hard couple of months."

She looked back at Matt and saw another figure instead in another place.

"You're never going to get away from here," the man in the shadows said, "No one's ever escaped."

She rubbed her head, where it hurt. Her vision blurred in a halo of light.

"Who are you," she said, looking around.

"You mean, you don't remember?"

And then she knew.

* * *

Kelly woke up with a start and saw that she was alone in the bedroom. She pulled her covers over her and tried to get to sleep again but it was a long time coming.

* * *

Jed rolled over in his bed and reached for his cell phone.

"Hi, do you know how late it is?"

"It won't be so late when you hear what I have to say."

Jed sat up.

"What did you find out from your sources?"

"That the guy on the list is currently assigned as a supervisor to the U.S. Marshal's division of the DOJ."

"Oh my god," Jed said, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, my sources were sure. There might be a couple other agents working with him but they're not sure."

"Has anyone notified their version of I.A.?"

The man laughed.

"We both know how that works," he said, "or doesn't."

"Someone's got to notify Jonathon and warn him."

* * *

Chris and Matt packed up to leave the office for the night.

"I guess we've done all we can do tonight," Matt said, "Thanks for staying."

"No problem," Chris said.

They heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," Matt said.

Both of them stared as Scott walked into the office. He looked at both of them and smiled.

"Is this any way to greet an old friend?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hi, I finished another chapter. I hope you enjoy reading it.

* * *

"Well, aren't you going to say anything?"

Both Matt and Chris just stared at Scott.

"What are you doing here," Matt said.

"I'm here as an employee of the company of course," Scott said, "Murray's been looking at the books again and I thought I'd help him out."

"Sit down," Matt said, "I'm not going to ask you twice."

Scott looked at the both of them, then took a seat.

"What's the problem," he asked.

"Why are you in Houston?"

"I told you, to check on the status of the company per Murray's request."

Matt took out his cell phone and flipped it open.

"Okay, I can call up Murray right now and ask him. It's about 1 a.m. so I can probably catch him burning the midnight oil."

Scott put up his hands.

"Okay, I was sitting on my hands back in L.A. and I'm as worried about what happened to C.J. as any of you are so I thought I'd come and help."

"Actually, I think you can help me out there," Matt said, "I have some questions to ask you and I expect to get some well-thought out answers in return."

"Okay shoot."

"Where you the last person to see her before she disappeared?"

"How do I know," Scott said, "I saw her at a meeting that she and I had with Murray on some documents that turned up. She was pretty secretive going back several months and no one knew why."

"What is it that you're saying," Matt said.

"She said she was working on a special project with Murray but wouldn't talk much about it," Scott said, "I found that a little bit suspicious."

"Are you implying that she did something wrong to hurt Houston Enterprises?"

"Oh no don't read more into what I just said. I just found it suspicious and I was trying to find out more of what was going on."

"I'll bet," Matt said.

"What does that mean," Scott said, "I've been a very loyal and very productive employee for this company for years."

"You took some of those years off, Scott."

"To get more experience so that I could return and be much more effective," he said.

"Okay next question," Matt said, "What happened with you, C.J. and Julia while you were at Harvard Law School?"

"What does that have to do with anything," Scott said, "I thought we were talking about your company."

"No, we are talking about C.J. and why she doesn't seem to like you very much," Matt said, "And I'm beginning to wonder what she saw in you that I missed."

"There's nothing to see," Scott said, "You know me, we've been friends for years."

Matt took a long look at him.

"This discussion's not over," Matt said, "If you had anything to do with C.J.'s disappearance or what happened to her, you'll definitely be answering to that."

The two old friends looked at each other.

"Did you just threaten me," Scott said.

"Yeah I think I just did."

* * *

Jonathon sat on the airplane, reading through some paperwork he had brought with him. The flight had left D.C. on time and he had several hours to think of what he was going to tell Matt when he arrived in Houston.

Years ago...

He woke up inside a dark and cramped space. He groped around him and his fingers hit some furniture, covered with material. He got on his feet, unsteady at first but then his strength returned to him. He couldn't see more than several feet in front of him as he groped around to find a way out. He finally reached the door and pulled on it, but it wouldn't open. He looked for something to pry it open but nothing was visible. He sat down and rubbed his head, thinking how much his world had changed so quickly. He woke up that morning thinking he had life by the hand, not knowing that by nightfall, that life might be ending.

Only hours earlier, he had been tending bar, his first day at the Regency. When he had received the phone call from its manager that he had been hired, he had celebrated. He knew the tips were good and he could meet interesting people.

Suddenly, the door opened and he saw a woman being pushed towards him. He reached to grab her to prevent her from stumbling.

"Who are you," Jonathon asked.

"I'm Julia, C.J.'s friend," she said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Jonathon. I tend bar where C.J. works. She asked me to drive here to pick you up."

"That was nice of you, Jonathon," Julia said, "I'm so sorry I got the both of you into this."

"It sounds like that's your boyfriend's doing."

Julia sighed.

"Andre had one of his thugs take me out to find him, but I couldn't. I don't know where he is right now."

She sat down and put her head in her hands.

"Where's C.J.," Jonathon said, "Why isn't she with you?"

"She was sitting on the couch when we returned. Andre paced back and forth upset, saying that since Scott didn't bring him back his merchandise, he was going to exact his payment."

"Which is…"

"I don't know…Andre said he and his men would take two of us, hold us for ransom I guess or something and he's deciding what to do with you."

"Not to sound like I'm happy about being the third wheel here, but why you two?"

"My family comes from money," Julia said, "C.J. doesn't but her best friend's daddy is one of the richest men in the country."

"This is Matt, right?"

"Yeah, his father owns Houston Industries which reaps in hundreds of millions in contracts and sales each year."

"Why would they be interested in a ransom," Jonathon said, "They looked pretty loaded to me. That Andre's suits are custom tailored."

Julia shrugged, then wrapped her arms around herself.

"What else would they want?"

"So why didn't they bring C.J. down here?"

"She wanted to speak with them alone," Julia said, "I think she's trying to talk them out of killing you."

Years later, Jonathon took a sip from his vodka and cola, remembering just how wrongly Julia had read that entire situation and so had he.

* * *

Kelly took Sienna out of her stall in the morning to saddle her up. Reed and Jed walked into the barn to get their horses.

"It's amazing that the weather's holding up," Jed said, "The news said the front might have stalled over Arizona for a while."

"That's good," Kelly said, "So what's up today?"

"We're going to do some work to help Reed's mom out," Jed said.

Kelly smiled.

"I'll be happy to help."

Jed hesitated.

"My contact called me last night. The man on the list is definitely assigned to Jonathon's division."

"Oh my god," Kelly said, "Does he know?"

"I doubt it, and we don't know exactly where this man's assigned yet."

"I've got to get out of here," Kelly said, "I can't put anyone else in danger."

"You can't," Jed said, "Or you might as well hand yourself over to them."

"I can't let anyone get hurt or killed because they knew me."

"That's what they want you to be thinking, so you'll make yourself vulnerable and they can find you."

"I don't know what else to do but I can't sit here and do nothing."

"I'm going to call Jonathon and we'll come up with a plan on how we're going to deal with this. We're going to make sure this is okay."

Sienna brushed her muzzle against Kelly's shoulder.

"Okay," she said, finally.

* * *

Matt sat in bed, looking at the envelope which had rested at the bottom of C.J.'s box. After some thought, he unsealed it and pulled out a letter.

_Dear C.J._

_I am so glad that you've graduated from Harvard with honors and have become an outstanding lawyer. You go girl! Okay, so you're not living the dream that we had shared together when we were kids but you're still proving yourself a force to be reckoned with in the corporate world working for Matt's company. Don't think I haven't read the articles including the cover story in Business Weekly. _

_Matt's a great guy, who genuinely cares about people and is not afraid to show it most of the time. Men like that are rare in this world. I should be so lucky to even share the same solar system with one someday but a girl can always dream. And sometimes I feel like my dreams are the only thing left that I've got to hold onto. You're very lucky and don't be so sure about his feelings. Still waters run deep, after all and like most men, he's sensitive about the things that truly matter to him. _

_The cancer's come back. My last scan showed that it's progressing and the doctor's not sure that the chemo is going to do the trick this time. I already did some crying over it and decided that if I don't make it this time, I'll leave a life with no regrets. _

_Almost no regrets. _

_I'm so sorry what I did that night when I called you to pick me up from that party. I never met for any of this to happen and I'll never forget what you did to get us out of there. And I'll never forgive Scott for forcing you to make a decision you should never have had to make. _

_Tell Jonathon I'm very sorry too. He turned out to be more than just good-lucking and I think it's fitting that he's working to help people be safe against thugs like Andre. If you ever need his help, he'll be there for you even if you're not together anymore. See, two good and good-looking men in your orbit. _

_Enclosed is a key to a safety deposit box in that old bank in Houston. Inside it, you will find the last of my secrets, the one that hopefully will set us both free from the past if it ever rears its head again. I heard Scott crawled back to Houston Enterprises to get a job and I'm afraid for you. Be careful and whatever you do, don't trust him or his intentions. _

_All my love, _

_Julia_

He wondered what incident Julia had been writing about in her letter. C.J. had been right, Julia and Scott had never resumed their relationship after Julia had dropped out of Harvard.

And why was Julia warning C.J. about Scott years later? Each time he asked a question hoping for an answer, instead he found more questions about what was happening now and what had happened years ago during an episode of his best friend's life that she had never shared with him.

Matt put the letter down and shook the envelope. A small key landed in his palm. He put both items back in the envelope and got up to shower and get dressed.

* * *

Kelly rode Sienna out in the brisk morning, towards the far meadow. Jed and Reed had taken off earlier to round up some of the yearlings out where the rubble of the old barn still stood waiting to be rebuilt in the spring.

The screams of horses trapped inside it filled her mind, and the noxious smoke burned her lungs. She ran through the aisle as burning pieces of lumber fell around her, kicking up fiery ash. Ahead of her two men tried to lead a mare out of her stall. One of them took off his shirt and wrapped it around her head to cover her eyes. She reached a stall where a roan mare cowered in the corner, whinnying and she opened the stall door.

"Which way's out," one man yelled.

"We'll go this way," the other said, "I think I can feel a draft."

Kelly reached for the mare's halter, talking to her softly as experience had taught her. The mare's eyes were wide and she pawed the saw dust in her stall with her hoof.

Jed came up behind her.

"You shouldn't be here," he said looking at her, "I'll help you with Sasha."

Kelly nodded. She reached for Sasha's halter while Jed guided the mare by putting his hands on her side. Finally Sasha became quiet and followed them out of the stall towards the doorway, where a man stood waving his arms and yelling to guide them through the smoke.

She went back into the barn, only now it was an old house and she heard banging on a door, and ran towards it. The men had departed and left the three of them alone in the fire which quickly consumed the wood frame of the building.

"Is anyone out there," a voice came from inside the room, "Please help us."

C.J. clutched on the door but the knob wouldn't turn.

"It's locked," a voice sounding like Jonathon's said, "There's a lot of smoke in here."

She looked around for a key, but couldn't find one. She looked around for anything else she could use.

"Hurry," Jonathon said, "I think Julia's passed out."

"Do you have anything, does she have anything I can use to open the door?"

"I'll look," Jonathon answered.

C.J. looked around frantically, as the fire spread around them.

"I found a nail file in Julia's purse," Jonathon said.

"Quick, slip it under the door," C.J. said, "There's not much time."

She reached down to pick up the file and started working the lot, but it wouldn't budge.

"Come on," she said, and finally to her surprise, the lock turned and she pulled the door open.

She looked at Jonathon holding up Julia in the darkness.

"We've got to find a way out of here."

"How'd you do that," Jonathon said, in amazement leading Julia out of the basement.

"An old friend taught me."

* * *

Matt walked into the kitchen and poured himself some coffee.

"Here have a bagel with that at least," Chris said, handing him one on a plate.

Matt looked at it carefully then put the plate down.

"Maybe we can hit the drive-thru on the way to meet Jonathon at the office."

"Sure thing," Chris said, smiling, "Dan will meet us over there."

"What about Scott?"

"No problems there, Murray sent him on a few errands that will take him the rest of the day."

"Thank you Murray," Matt said, "So Jonathon's in town already?"

"Yeah, he had to meet with Houston PD before he could talk to us."

"I hope he'll answer some questions," Matt said.

His phone rang.

"Hello Hoyt, what's the latest?"

"I got a phone call from a friend of mine in the FBI on that explosion in D.C."

"Yeah, it's been all over the airwaves," Matt said, "Strange timing for a terrorist attack."

"Unless it's not a terrorist attack," Hoyt said, "The FBI think it's a direct hit against a particular person."

"How can they be sure so early in the investigation?"

"They're reviewing the surveillance video right now," Hoyt said, "But they traced the explosive to one of the lockers in the storage room."

"That doesn't make any sense Hoyt," Matt said, "It was in a room off to the side of the terminal. Wouldn't the walls provide some protection from the blast to the rest of the terminal?"

"It gets better," Hoyt said, "The man assigned to the locker room survived the blast. He had just stepped out to the bathroom and he has a description of the only man who was in that room when he left."

"Are they going to have him look at the video?"

"Yes, later today."

"Hoyt, we're meeting with a federal contact that Chris has this morning," Matt said, "Hopefully we'll get some answers."

* * *

Jonathon pulled out his phone as he prepared to leave the administrative headquarters of the Houston Police Department after his meeting with the chief and head of the investigative unit.

"Hi, Brad what's up? I just left the briefing with the police department."

"I had some paperwork to sign off on but I needed a supervisor to approve it," Brad said.

"What about Derek? Can't he do it?"

"He never showed up for work this morning."

"What do you mean he never showed up," Jonathon said, "Did anyone call his wife?"

"He never made it home either," Brad said, "She tried to file a missing person's report with the local police."

"Did anyone contact D.C. police?"

"Yeah, but they hadn't heard anything," Brad said, "Of course, they're wrapped up in that investigation at the train station."

"Okay, have someone from our office contact the FBI and have them send someone to talk to his wife."

"Will do," Brad said, "And there's something else. The FBI just called us on a matter."

"What was that?"

"They were going to interview the Duvals about the explosive device in Houston being traced back to their terrorist group, but neither will cooperate."

"That's to be expected," Jonathon said, "Did anyone there think they were going to just volunteer to incriminate themselves?"

"They didn't say they wouldn't talk to anyone," Brad said, "The son is willing to talk to one person."

"And who's that?"

"Matt Houston."

* * *

Matt and Chris headed to the office, to meet Jonathon.

"That was Dan," Chris said, putting down her cell phone, "He's at the office."

"Good, I'm hoping this is going to be a productive conversation and not a waste of time."

"I'm sure he'll try to help us."

"I hope so," Matt said, "Did you know that Julia wrote a letter to C.J. warning her about Scott?"

"No, I didn't. How did you know?"

"It was in that box that Rhonda gave me," he said, "Something happened with the three of them while they were at Harvard Law School."

"What could that be?"

"Julia didn't provide much information but she left a strong impression that it was because of something Scott did."

"We can't talk to her now," Chris said.

"I know and Scott didn't provide much of an answer from his end," Matt said, "And she mentioned 'thugs like Andre', I've never heard of any one by that name."

"Me neither," Chris said, "Not that I remember anyway."

"I remember that time period visiting C.J. while I was on leave," Matt said, "I couldn't get much time off but I saw her a few times and she just wasn't herself."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd known her for years by that time and she was just different," Matt said, "There's certain things she wouldn't talk about her time in law school."

"We're almost there," Chris said.

Matt pulled into the parking garage of Houston Enterprises.

* * *

"Kelly, I think we're finished here," Jed said, "We should head on back."

"Okay, I think they'll be fine," she said, looking at a group of horses.

"I want you to come into town with me."

"Are you going to meet with your contact?"

Jed nodded.

"He left a message on my answering machine and wants to give an update on what's he's found out."

"You sure he won't mind if I come along?"

"He asked for you to come with me."

"Okay, we'll put the horses back in the barn and then we'll get going."

* * *

Matt and Chris walked down the hallway of the corporate building and entered into his office.

Already in the office, were Dan and the federal agent.

"Jonathon," Matt said, in disbelief.

"It's been a long time, Matt."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hi, here's my latest chapter. Ooh this story's getting a bit long. Thanks for the comments!

* * *

Matt and Jonathon looked at each other.

"You're the federal agent," Matt asked, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Jonathon nodded.

"I'm with the Department of Justice," he said, "I've been there for about seven years."

"Chris, why didn't you tell me it was Jonathon."

"I didn't know about his relationship with C.J. until just recently," she said "And after he called me, I wasn't allowed to talk about it."

"Why did you contact Chris?"

"Because we needed her help when C.J. came to me and we made an exception and brought her in the loop," Jonathon said, "And C.J. trusts her, which is the most important thing."

"I'm sorry, Matt," she said, "There's so many times I wanted to tell you what was going on. I finally told Jonathon I couldn't keep any more secrets from you."

"Great, just great," Matt said, "So what was the last week all about then?"

Chris and Jonathon looked at each other.

"Why don't you take a seat so that we can talk," Jonathon said.

Matt and Chris sat down.

"When did this all start," Matt said.

"It started with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security nearly a year ago," Jonathon said, "Your company, Houston Enterprises, was flagged by both agencies for possible links to terrorism."

"You're not serious," Matt said, "It must have been some kind of mistake."

Jonathon shook his head.

"At first, they thought you were involved," he said, "But both agencies watched your company and its employees and at some point, they decided they needed help from the inside."

"So they contacted C.J.?"

"Yes, her legal experience, her investigative skills and her closeness to you, the CEO of the company under investigation made her the logical choice so they arranged a meeting with her and she agreed to work with them."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because she thought you were innocent of any wrongdoing and she made that quite clear to the investigators," Jonathon said, "She wanted to find the people responsible."

"And so then what," Matt said.

"She began working on what she told you was a special product," Jonathon said.

"Yeah with Murray," Matt said, "Don't tell me he's involved in this."

Jonathon shook his head.

"No as far as he's concerned, it was a legitimate project," Jonathon said, "C.J. hated lying but she knew how serious the circumstances were for the company and for you."

"How do you know all this," Matt said, "Do you work for the FBI?"

"No, I work for another agency, which became involved later on."

Matt digested this information then crossed his arms looking back at Jonathon.

"So when did this escapade start to go bad?"

Jonathon hesitated.

"When C.J. started discovering in her investigating that the evidence was pointing to someone inside Houston Enterprises."

"Scott Prescow."

Jonathon nodded.

"The FBI wanted her to help them get evidence against him to use it to force him to lead him to whoever he worked for but that's where they made their first mistake."

"Meaning that they made it much more dangerous for C.J.?"

"Yes," Jonathon said, "But she wanted to do it. She said she had to do it and so she did what they asked her."

"And did they take any steps to protect her, to keep her safe?"

"They did what they thought they needed to do in the situation as they saw it," Jonathon said.

"In other words, no they didn't," Matt said. "They were more concerned about nailing their case or me than in keeping a non-agent on a very dangerous operation safe from harm."

"I can't deny that they could have done a better job, Matt."

"So when did you become involved then and what is your capacity?"

"I work for the U.S. Marshal's Service's Witness Protection Program," Jonathon said, "I became involved when C.J. contacted me."

* * *

Kelly and Jed rode towards Silver Lode to meet with his contact.

"I wonder what he wants to tell us," Kelly said.

"He wasn't specific, but he had discovered that the guy on the disk is working in Jonathon's division."

"Someone's got to contact Jonathon and tell him," Kelly said, "I don't want him to get hurt."

"If the thugs who kidnapped you have someone on the inside of his office, it's clear they are trying to find out where the Marshals have stashed you."

"What if they do find out I'm at the ranch?"

Jed looked at Kelly.

"We're going to do whatever it takes to protect you," Jed said, "Jonathon can send some agents out of the Denver office and give them instructions on how to handle this."

"I'd rather die than go back," Kelly said.

"That's not going to happen," Jed said, "I will not let that happen."

Kelly softened.

"Thanks Jed," she said, "That means so much to me, more than you'll ever know."

"I've been where you are now," Jed said, "I know what it's like to feel caught between two places, two lives even."

"I've got a life I want back so much," Kelly said, "My career, my home, friends and Matt."

"That man you worked for before all this happened?"

Kelly nodded.

"I hope he knows how lucky he is to have someone like you in his life," Jed said, "You're very special."

"I'm not that woman anymore," she said, "I don't think I'll ever be her again."

"You're a survivor," Jed said, "You survived that nightmare you went through, you'll survive its aftermath."

"That's what I thought before," Kelly said, softly looking out the window at the scenery moving past.

* * *

C.J. and Jonathon helped Julia walk through the burning house, as embers fell on them and the floor baked under their feet. They moved towards a doorway which looked like it led to the kitchen, when suddenly a beam collapsed in front of them.

"We'll have to find another way," C.J. said, brushing her hair out of her face. Julia started coughing.

"Where are we," she said, weakly.

"We're getting out of this house, Julia," C.J. said, "We're almost there."

"Where are those men?"

"Some more men showed up and then they left," C.J. said, "I'll explain it when we get out of here."

The smoke roared around their faces, as they tried to reach an exit.

"We'll never make it through the back," Jonathon said, "We'll have to try one of the bedrooms and hope it has a window."

C.J. nodded, and coughed.

"There's one this way," she said, as they struggled to move to a door that was ajar. C.J. tried to turn the knob but it burned her hand.

"Here, try this," Jonathon handed her his shirt which he removed. C.J. wound it around her hand and opened up the bedroom door.

"There's the window," C.J. said, "I'll see if I can open it."

The window wouldn't budge and Jonathon moved to help her. They pulled and then pushed at it until finally it opened.

"You go first," Jonathon said to C.J., "You'll need to help me with Julia."

Cool air rushed in streaming against her face, as C.J. hoisted herself out the window and landed softly on the damp grass.

"I'm right here, Julia," C.J. said, "Just step over. It's not that far down."

Finally Jonathon jumped off the sill and the three of them ran across the grass.

* * *

Matt looked at Jonathon in disbelief.

"You're with the witness protection program," he said, "What does that have to do with C.J.?"

"C.J.'s a protected witness in a federal investigation," Jonathon said, "After she called me, I had the program relocate her to a secured place."

"What secured place?"

"I can't tell you that," Jonathon said, "I know this is very difficult but you have to trust me that I have C.J.'s best interests at heart."

"How'd she end up calling you," Matt asked.

Jonathon hesitated.

"C.J. went missing about six or seven months ago," he said, "She drove out to purportedly meet with someone and disappeared. The FBI and other agencies launched a search for her but couldn't find any trace of her. Her car was still parked in the garage of your Los Angeles corporate building. They interviewed employees, friends but no one had seen her."

"But she called you later?"

"Almost a month after she disappeared, I received a call from her at a pay phone from her asking me for help," Jonathon said, "I and some other agents flew out to meet her."

"How was she?"

"She had lost some weight and had suffered injuries, a broken wrist and lacerations on her hands and face."

"How'd she get those injuries," Matt asked.

"Escaping from where she had been imprisoned by her captors," Jonathon said, "She had jumped into a river and was carried down a mile or so before she was able to get out."

"Was she able to tell you anything about what happened and where she'd been?"

"Fragments at first, she was hypothermic and contracted a very serious infection that almost killed her," Jonathon said, "We couldn't risk taking her to a local hospital so we flew her out to a secured location and had doctors treat her there."

Matt rubbed his eyes.

"How's she doing now," he asked.

"She's healed up from her injuries, and aggressive antibiotics knocked off the infection," Jonathon said, "But it's been very difficult for her and she really hasn't talked much about what happened."

Matt closed his eyes.

"Who's responsible?"

"We don't know at this point," Jonathon said, "We really believed it was someone after the company or to frame you as a terrorist sympathizer."

"But that wasn't the case, was it?"

Jonathon looked at him in surprise.

"How do you know?"

"They were after her all along, weren't they?"

Jonathon nodded.

"We believe that was the case now."

Matt shook his head.

"So you blew it," he said, "You endangered a woman's life and nearly got her killed."

"It's not like that, Matt," Jonathon said.

Matt jumped out of his chair.

"Then you tell me what it's like, Jonathon," he said, "You tell me how someone could set up such an elaborate trap for her and the feds had no idea what was really going on."

"They didn't know. We still don't know who's responsible for kidnapping her," Jonathon said, "And if she knows who's responsible, she's not telling anyone."

* * *

Kelly and Jed pulled into the parking lot of the diner and got out of the car to head inside.

"There he is," Jed said about the man sitting in the corner booth.

They walked over and sat down. A waitress came by and Jed ordered some coffee.

"Good to see you again," the man said, looking at Kelly.

"I remember you from the other day," she said, warily.

"So what's this about," Jed said, "What did you learn from your federal contacts?"

"Derek Gerard is missing," the man said, "No one's seen him since yesterday."

"What do you mean he's disappeared?"

"Just that, his wife and his employers at the U.S. Marshal's office have gone to the FBI and local authorities to start a missing person's investigation."

"What do you think happened to him," Jed said.

"I have a hunch that they'll find his DNA all over the scene of that explosion."

"You think he went to the train station to meet someone."

"Why else would he be there," the man said, "He didn't strike me as the commuter type."

Kelly ran her hand through her hair.

"They're going to find me," she said, "and they may have already killed innocent people to do it."

"Has the DOJ said that Gerard was in the station?"

The man shook his head.

"No, but from what I heard, everyone thinks he might have been the target."

"We've got to call Jonathon."

* * *

"I'm not going to argue with you, Matt that we could have done things better," Jonathon said.

"Good now that that's settled, we can move on to my next question," Matt said, "Where is she?"

"I can't tell you that," Jonathon said, "You know why. If you know her location, it could cost her life."

"Her life's been in danger since she agreed to help the FBI," Matt said, "And I have a bad feeling about that bombing in D.C."

"That had nothing to do with what's going on here."

"Are you sure," Matt said, "have you gotten that far in your investigation?"

"No, but we've not found anything to suggest that the two are connected," Jonathon said, "And C.J.'s safe where she's located. I personally made sure of that."

"How do you know she's safe," Matt said, "Whoever's after her is going to find her eventually because they've been keeping close tabs on us."

"We're doing all we can, Matt."

"No, you're not," Matt said, "You haven't done nearly enough since day one."

"Someone one's calling me on my cell," Jonathon said, "I'll have to take this outside."

After he left, Matt stood up and started pacing.

"I can't believe these feds," he said.

"I think they tried their best with a difficult situation," Dan said.

"If they'd done that, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

* * *

Jonathon stood in the hallway.

"Hello, is this Jed? What's going on?"

"We're at the diner in town talking to a contact of mine who spent time at the DOJ."

"Okay, what did he have to say?"

"He said that one or more of your men are crooked, Jonathon," Jed said, "Including your supervisor."

"You mean Derek," Jonathon said, "How do you know?"

"I found the disk that C.J. had with her when she arrived at the ranch."

"What the…where? She said she lost it in the river."

"Well she didn't and my contact's been working on deciphering it for several days now."

"Was there anything useful on it?"

"Not much, but we did uncover a list of people that are being paid off by whoever kidnapped Kelly…C.J."

Jonathon paused on the line.

"Derek was on that list."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it looks like he's been moonlighting for a while."

"No one can find him anywhere," Jonathon said.

"I think that you need to find a sample of his DNA and run it against the bodies or any tissue left behind by that explosion."

"Are you sure he's dirty," Jonathon said, "He and I worked together for years."

"He wouldn't be listed in this file if he were clean, Jonathon," Jed said, "Where are you anyway?"

"I'm in Houston now on business, but I can notify the FBI."

"And you're going to have to think about the fact that if he worked for these thugs, then in all probability, they got her location out of him before he died."

* * *

Jed clicked off his phone.

"What did Jonathon say," Kelly asked.

"Not very much once I told him that his supervisor might not be who he thought he was."

"So what's he going to do," the man asked.

"He's in Houston right now on business, but he's going to contact the feds back east to get a sample of Gerard's DNA to run against the bodies from the explosion."

"I think he's in for a shock," the man said, sipping his coffee, "I hope he's ready for it."

"Houston…What's he doing there," Kelly said,

"He didn't say," Jed said, "He's going back to D.C. later tonight to hold a meeting to determine what to do next."

* * *

"You're awfully quiet this evening," C.J. said, entering his office and sitting across from Matt's desk.

Matt rubbed his eyes.

"I've just been thinking about what Joanna said.

"Oh, as in what she said before she walked out of the office about an hour ago?"

"Yeah, she said my work was getting in the way of our relationship."

"I know the feeling," C.J. said, "My first date with James was my last date with him."

"It didn't work out," Matt said, "Wasn't he the doctor?"

"Neurosurgeon," she said, "And no, he wants a woman with a quieter lifestyle who would wait at home for him."

"No crashing cars, bullets flying and jumping out of buildings, right?"

"No, I think they all want the kind of women who don't come with high insurance premiums," C.J. said.

"And I think all the women out there want a guy who works a 9-5 job and picks up the dry cleaning on the way home from the office." "

C.J. looked at him.

"What do you mean, Houston," she said, "You're a great catch for some woman out there. "

He raised his brows.

"No really," she said, "You're very passionate about your life and your work. You care deeply for people and want to help them. I can't understand why any woman worth her salt wouldn't be drawn to that."

"And you're an incredible woman," Matt said, "Any man worth his salt would be lucky to find someone like you."

"Well, we're both dateless right now in the meantime," C.J. said, "I say we should go out and have some dinner and commiserate together."

"Sounds like a plan counselor," Matt said, "A dateless date."

C.J. laughed as they linked arms and left the office.

* * *

"Matt, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that I'm going to find out where they've got C.J., Dan."

"Jonathon's right, if you go off running after her, it could put her in greater danger."

"Something's wrong here," Matt said, "I think whoever is after her is going to find her."

"You can't be sure of that."

"Look at Jonathon," Matt said, "Did he sound like anything other than a government bureaucrat trying to spin a bad situation?"

"Matt, he cares about C.J. too," Chris said, "He would never do anything to put her in danger."

"She's already in danger, Chris and something's not right here. I don't think the federal agencies are telling us everything."

The door opened and Jonathon walked back in the office.

"What's the matter," Matt asked when he saw his face.

"I've got to go back to D.C. and meet with the FBI and ATF on the explosion," Jonathon said, "There might be some more information."

"That doesn't sound like good news in your voice," Matt said.

Jonathon sighed.

"That's because it's not," he said, "One of the people killed in the blast might have been working for my division."

"Oh my god," Chris said, putting her hand over her mouth.

Matt looked at Jonathon.

"Now why would it happen that one of your colleagues would be at the train station at the exact moment the bomb went off?"

"I don't know the answer to that yet," Jonathon said, "He was my supervisor."

"Oh that's great," Matt said, "Do they suspect, do you suspect he was the target?"

"We don't know the answer to that yet," Jonathon said.

"And where does this put C.J.," Matt said, "What's going to happen to her?"

"I'm not going to argue with you," Jonathon said, "I'm off to the airport."

The three of them left the office and walked out to the garage where Jonathon had parked his car.

"I've got to handle some things in D.C. in my office," Jonathon said, "I'll get in touch with you later about C.J."

"I'm going to find her first before they do."

Jonathon turned around and faced Matt.

"Don't do it," he said, "Wait for us to get this sorted out."

Their voices echoed throughout the parking garage.

"Matt, I'm going to go to the police station and talk to some guys I know there to see if they've learned anything," Dan said.

Matt nodded.

"By the time you folks get it sorted out, she could be dead like your supervisor," he said.

Jonathon turned around to respond, but ran out of time.

They heard several beeps and then the row of cars in front of them were enveloped in fire from an explosion which rocked the garage, throwing them off of their feet.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Here's the latest installment of my story. Thanks for the comments, I really appreciate it!

* * *

Matt stumbled to his feet, coughing as ash and smoke filled the garage. A stench of burning fuel and rubber saturated the air. He looked through the ashy smoke and saw that at least one car was on fire. He looked around him and saw that Jonathon had grabbed Chris and pushed her to the ground. Both of them crawled around, trying to stand up.

"Are you okay," Matt said.

Both nodded.

Then Chris looked and saw Dan lying on the ground.

"Oh no," she said and limped over to him, "Call 9-11!"

Jonathon dialed the number and talked to the dispatcher on the phone. Matt ran over to where Chris knelt beside her boyfriend.

"How is he," Matt said.

Chris shook her head, tears stained by ash dripping down her face.

"I don't know," she said, "he's unconscious and I don't think he's breathing."

Matt checked to see if he was breathing and found no pulse. He placed his hands on his chest and began performing CPR compressions. Jonathon came over.

"I told the dispatcher to send medical help," he said, looking around, "It looks like a car bomb explosion."

"Was that your car," Matt said, still performing CPR on his friend. Sirens were heard in the distance and then closer, until finally fire trucks and an ambulance drew up just outside the garage, along with a lot of police cars.

"I think so," Jonathon said, "I picked it up from the office in Dallas and drove down here."

"Still feel like you're in control of the situation?"

Jonathon ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't know," he said, quietly, "I'd better go talk to the police."

Paramedics came over with a stretcher and equipment to where Dan was lying.

"We'll take over," one of them said, then called to the other, "Bring the EKG machine."

"My god, please don't let him die," Chris said, as Matt wrapped her in his arms.

* * *

Jed and Kelly drove back to the ranch.

"Kelly, it's going to be all right," Jed said, "Jonathon will know what to do."

"I know," she said, "I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about Houston."

"The city? You mean what he was doing there?"

"No, my best friend Matt," Kelly said, "If Jonathon is in Houston, he must be talking to him."

"He did mention that Houston in our conversation," Jed said, "He said something about him running around the country looking for you."

"I asked Jonathon to tell him to stop looking for me," Kelly said, "I don't want anything bad to happen to him."

"You mean like happened to you," Jed said, "because you tried to help him?"

Kelly looked out her window.

"Jonathon said that you were involved in an FBI investigation to help Houston and it went bad."

"I don't want to talk about it," Kelly said, "It can't change things."

"It's hard to get someone to stop doing something if they're doing it because they really care about a person," Jed said, "And I'm getting the impression that he cares about you."

"I know he does, but it's just going to get him killed and I couldn't bear that," Kelly said, "The world needs men like him who care enough to try and make a difference."

"It also needs women just like yourself who do that," Jed said, "And that's what you will do again once this is all over."

* * *

Matt paced the waiting room, while Chris sat in a chair nearby. Fran and Rhonda had dropped everything at work when they heard the news and rushed to the hospital.

"Damn, how could this happen," Rhonda said, "How can this world just be so filled with violence?"

"I don't know, I used to not even ask myself that question," Fran said, "I thought that was the way everything was, until I met Matt and C.J. and all of you."

Jonathon walked into the room.

"How's Dan doing?"

Matt looked at him.

"No change," he said, "He's been in surgery for a couple of hours."

Jonathon sat down and Matt joined him.

"How's Chris holding up," Jonathon said.

Matt looked over where she was sitting.

"She's devastated, how else would she be?"

"It was a car bomb," Jonathon said, "It was probably supposed to go off when I was inside it."

"That's a lot of consolation," Matt said.

"I know you think I'm the bad guy here, Matt."

"No, I'm thinking there's really bad guys but C.J.'s not here to talk about that, and then there's merely dishonest like what you've been."

Jonathon sighed.

"I have told you what I know and more than I should have."

"I don't believe you," Matt said.

"What do you want to believe," Jonathon said, "that I'm holding back information?"

"Dan, he might not have any time left thanks to that," Matt said, "And C.J., she's probably running out of time."

* * *

C.J. looked back several times to make sure Julia and Jonathon were behind her as they ran across the grass to a stream behind the property. Julia stumbled several times but Jonathon hoisted her back on her feet.

"I'm tired," Julia said, finally, "I can't run another step."

C.J. and Jonathon looked at her and each other.

"We can rest a minute," she said and they sat underneath a tree by the stream. Cool air brushed their faces and C.J. flinched.

"So where did the men go," Jonathon asked.

C.J. wrapped her coat around her.

"I was alone with Andre after two of his men left us and then suddenly I heard a lot of footsteps and voices," she said, "then the door opened and several other men came in."

"Who were they?"

"I don't know, they seemed very upset with Andre and were very loud and he never even raised his voice back at them. They said they had been sent to prevent him from exposure."

"Did he go with them," Jonathon said.

C.J. nodded.

"Yes, finally he and his men left with them, but not before…"

"That fire was set deliberately, wasn't it?"

"Yes, they didn't want any one of us to go to the police and tell them what we knew about Andre."

That's exactly what we need to do when we get out of here," Jonathon said.

"No…we can't," C.J. said.

Jonathon looked at her.

"Why, what do you mean," he said, "Of course we're going to the police with this. Those men kidnapped us and tried to kill us."

"The police can't know what happened," C.J. said, "I'm not going to talk to them."

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk about it," C.J. said, "I just want to get out of here."

Julia looked at C.J.

"Me too," she said, "I just want to go home."

Julia stood up and put her arm around her friend's shoulder and they started walking again. Jonathon stood there watching them not believing what he had just heard.

* * *

Kelly rested her head on her hand, looking at the scenery flash past.

"I should have told him," she said.

"What did you say," Jed said.

"Oh nothing, I was thinking about something that happened years ago. It was when I met Jonathon."

"You and him go back a ways don't you?"

Kelly nodded.

"We met at this restaurant we both worked at. He tended bar and I asked him to do me a favor," she said, looking at her hands, "He did that and then some."

"Underneath the bureaucracy, he's a good guy," Jed said.

Kelly nodded.

"I know that," she said, "I knew that when I met him."

"Well, that friend of yours is sure giving him one hell of a headache."

"Houston?"

Jed nodded.

* * *

"Chris, how you doing?"

She looked up from where she was sitting as Matt sat beside her.

"I wish they'd tell us something," Chris said, "The waiting's the hardest part. The not knowing if he's going to be okay."

"He's going to be fine," Matt said, "You just believe that."

"I'm trying really hard," she said, fighting back tears, "I really never thought I'd meet a guy like him. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You're a very lucky woman to have found that," Matt said, "I don't think Dan's ready to leave what he's got."

Chris nodded.

"That's what he told me this morning," she said, "No matter what, he would always be there for me."

"He's been a great friend." Matt said, "I don't always show it or say it, but it's true."

"He knows that."

"I'm sorry about all this," Matt said, "If I hadn't been running around causing trouble for these guys, Dan wouldn't have been hurt."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Matt," Chris said, "You didn't do this and don't apologize for trying to do whatever it takes to find C.J."

"I'm going to find her," Matt said, "I just have to know where to look."

"You need to go do that, Matt," Chris said, "I'll be okay here. You need to find her before they do."

The doors opened and the surgeon walked into the room. Chris, Matt and the others rushed up to him.

"How is he," Matt asked.

The surgeon sighed.

"There was some serious injuries to several of his organs," he said, "But he should pull through just fine. There weren't any serious cranial injuries from the blast. He's a very lucky man."

"Thank god," Chris said, "When can I see him?"

"He's awake, so you can see him for just a few minutes," the surgeon said, before leaving them.

Matt and the others hugged Chris.

"I'm so glad he's okay, Chris," Matt said.

"Now it's time to make sure C.J.'s okay," Chris said, "Go Matt, go and bring her back to us. Don't let these thugs get away with what they've done."

"Are you sure," he said.

She nodded.

"I'll be fine, now go."

Matt walked out of the waiting room, and ran into Scott.

"Matt, I just heard the news," Scott said, "Is everyone okay?"

"No, Dan was nearly killed today when Jonathon's car suddenly exploded in the parking garage."

"How awful," Scott said, "Do they know who's responsible?"

Matt looked at him and then swung his fist back punching his friend in the face.

"I should have done that a long time ago," he said to Scott who was lying on the ground rubbing his jaw.

* * *

"C.J., what happened between you and Scott?"

She turned around and saw Matt walking towards her on the deck of his beach house. She looked at him.

"Nothing," she said, "We just have a difference of opinion on the project."

"Are you sure that's it," Matt said, "You've been awfully distant with him since he's been back at Houston Enterprises."

"He's your friend, Houston."

"I thought he was both of our friend, C.J."

She sighed.

"Houston, you have your wedding rehearsal in one hour," C.J. said, "You can't keep Elizabeth waiting. We'll handle it here."

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me?"

She looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

"You are getting married tomorrow," she said, "You shouldn't be thinking about work."

Matt smiled.

"I know," he said, "I just want to make sure everything's going as it should be before Elizabeth and I leave town."

He and C.J. walked back into the house and found Scott sitting on the sofa on his cell phone.

"I know what I promised you…Just be patient, it's just going to take more time than I thought…You won't be disappointed, I promise."

"Won't be disappointed in what," Matt asked.

Scott clicked his phone off.

"Oh, I'm just closing a business deal," he said looking at both of them, "A rather lucrative one in fact."

"What kind of deal," C.J. asked.

"You'll find out when the time is right," Scott said, "It's in the rather sensitive stages right now. The industry's has been fairly volatile lately."

"Houston, we'd better get going," C.J. said, "we're running late."

She and Matt left but not before Matt felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, telling him that something wasn't quite right.

* * *

While Thea cleared the table, Kelly washed dishes in the kitchen after lunch. She put her dish down for a moment and looked out the window. Thea joined her at the sink.

"Kelly what's wrong," she asked.

She didn't say anything in response.

"Please tell me."

Kelly turned around and looked at her.

"Are you crying," Thea said.

Kelly wiped her eyes.

"No," she said, "Just thinking."

"About what," Thea asked, "You know you can tell me."

She paused and Thea didn't think she would answer.

"I'm so scared he's going to find me," Kelly said.

"Who? The bad men who kidnapped you?"

Kelly looked at her hands and nodded.

"I'm also scared about Houston."

"Oh,the man in Texas who's been tossing up the state looking for you," Thea said, "Jonathon told me about him. Are you worried he'll never find you?"

Kelly shook her head.

"No, I'm afraid he will."

"Why?"

"I'm not the woman I was when he left months ago," Kelly said, "I can't let anyone touch me. I can't look at any man without it all coming back. I have to bolt myself to the ground to keep from running almost every second of every day."

"You've had a difficult time of it since you've been here," Thea said, "I think he'll understand that and he won't hold your feelings against you."

"I don't want to look at him and feel those things," Kelly said, "And I don't want him to see that I'm afraid of him."

"Have you ever thought that maybe he's exactly the person that you need right now," Thea said, picking up a dish and drying it.

"He'll just get hurt," Kelly said, "I'll get him hurt or worse, killed. I can't take that chance."

* * *

Jonathon caught up with Matt in the stair well.

"What did you just do to Scott?"

"He deserves worse, if he's involved in this in any way," Matt said.

"How do you know he's involved?"

"Maybe you know that better than I do, Jonathon."

Jonathon stopped.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You knew Scott didn't you," Matt said.

"No, not really," Jonathon said, "I met him several times."

"Did you know Julia Martin," Matt asked.

"You're filled with questions, aren't you?"

"Did you know Julia Martin?"

Jonathon nodded, slowly.

"Yes, I met her, why?"

"She mentioned you in some letters she wrote to C.J. years ago, and in one written more recently."

Jonathon frowned.

"What does this have to do with anything that's just happened?"

"Julia wrote a letter to C.J. warning her about Scott coming back to work at Houston Enterprises," Matt said, "Then she wrote that C.J. could always go to you if she needed help."

"I told her that, even after we broke up."

"And I remembered something that happened before I left town, Scott mentioning a business deal he was about to close," Matt said, "Only there's no record of it."

"You should have just asked him about it instead of knocking him flat to the floor."

"Maybe next time," Matt said.

"I've got to get back to D.C.," Jonathon said.

"Yeah, what was all that about?"

"My supervisor might have been killed in that explosion in D.C."

"What," Matt said, "What was he doing there?"

"We don't know," Jonathon said.

His cell phone rang.

"Excuse me," he said.

* * *

Jonathon ran up to where C.J. and Julia were walking.

"You're serious about not going to the police, aren't you?"

C.J. looked up at him and nodded.

"Why on earth would you keep quiet about this," Jonathon said.

"The police would never believe us," C.J. said, "To them, we're a bunch of young students drinking and partying too hard."

"How can you be so sure," he said, "Surely there's evidence."

C.J. looked back in the distance at the house still burning behind them.

"I think they took care of that."

Jonathon ran his hand through his hair then grabbed her shoulders. She wrenched away.

"Let go of me," she said, "Can't you just let it go. We just want to go home."

"Why are you trying to protect those thugs?"

She looked at him for a moment.

"Why do you assume that it's them I'm trying to protect?"

She and Julia continued walking.

* * *

Jonathon got off the phone.

"What was it," Matt asked after seeing the expression on his face.

"I had a crooked agent working for me and I never even knew it," Jonathon said.

"What do you mean," Matt said.

"My supervisor, Derek Gerard has been missing since the explosion," Jonathon said, "They put out an APB on him and filed a missing person's report."

"So you think he was at the train station, doing something he shouldn't have been doing?"

"I don't know, Matt," Jonathon said, "We've worked together for years."

"That doesn't necessarily mean much if someone offered him a huge pile of cash to work for them."

"I had to ask the FBI to run a cross-check with different organizations to see if he was working for any of them on the side," Jonathon said.

"Maybe he's been working for you on the side," Matt said, "Maybe he's even working for the men who kidnapped C.J and maybe he thought if he told them they would never kill him."

"We don't know that," Jonathon said.

"Oh I think you do," Matt said, "And I think you know that these thugs probably have already sent out more thugs to where you've placed C.J. in this so-called secured location."

"She's going to get more protection," Jonathon said, "I'm sending in more reinforcements from a nearby office."

"It won't be enough, if these men are really determined and really wealthy," Matt said, "And if she's in that little mining town, Silver Lode, you've left things wide open."

Jonathon's brows lifted.

"How'd you know about Silver Lode?"

"Oh, I read through some of C.J.'s letters including a post card she received from you inviting her out to your ranch," Matt said, "And a day or so ago, I received a silent phone call from a pay phone located somewhere in that town."

"She tried to contact you?"

"I don't know that it was her," Matt said, "But my gut says that it was."

"She asked me to warn you to back off your search for her," Jonathon said, "and it's good advice."

"Only she's sitting somewhere not knowing that the system that she was told would protect her has completely broken down."

"We're doing all we can," Jonathon said.

"And now so am I," Matt said, walking away, "See you around."

* * *

"I see you're busy tying up the loose ends," the man said on the phone, "Finish up and then move in on Silver Lode and find out where they are keeping her."

"Sure thing," the other man said, "We'll have the subject picked up by late afternoon tomorrow and on her way to you."

"Remember the instructions if anyone tries to stop you."

"Eliminate anyone in our way"

"Yes, but make sure no harm comes to the woman or you won't get paid a dime," the man said, "I'll handle her myself."

"You're the boss," the man other said.

Andre put the phone down and smiled for the first time in months.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

* * *

Early in the morning, Jed picked up his cell phone and called his contact.

"Have you heard anything," he asked.

"It's looking like Derek Gerard is going to be officially listed as one of the victims of the D.C. bombing this later this morning in a press conference."

"Damn," Jed said, "Jonathon was pretty shook up about it."

"It's no wonder with what happened yesterday."

"What do you mean what happened?"

"He didn't tell you," his contact said, "He was nearly killed in a car bombing in a parking garage of a corporation named Houston Enterprises."

"No, he didn't say anything about that. It must not have happened yet," Jed said, "What was he doing there?"

"He was there to meet with the CEO, Matt Houston."

"He's the one trying to find her," Jed said, "Jonathon said he was pretty relentless."

"That could be dangerous," the contact said.

"It's already getting too dangerous," Jed said.

* * *

The contact got off the phone and walked back to his computer. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Room service," a voice said.

Good, he had decided it was too cold this morning to venture to the diner to eat his breakfast so he had ordered in. He walked up to the door and opened it.

Outside stood a man in a dark suit, but no food cart in sight.

"Who are…"

The man pulled out a gun and shot him point blank twice in the chest.

As he sunk to the ground, then he knew. The man stepped over his body and after a minute came back carrying his lap top computer under his arm, leaving as quickly as he came.

* * *

"The weather looks like it might turn on us today," Jed said as he poured himself some coffee in the kitchen.

"Don't risk your lives out there today," Thea said, "The weather service said the storm's coming over the valley by night fall."

"We're heading out to help Reed's mother today with some cattle," Jed said, "We should be done by late afternoon before the storm hits."

"Take plenty of coffee and left over stew," Thea said, "You got to keep warm out there too."

Kelly came into the room.

"I'm ready to go," she said.

Jed sighed.

"We'd better get the horses saddled up and get going then. It's going to be a long day"

At the time Jed said that, he had no idea how prophetic his words would turn out to be.

* * *

Matt drove through the windy roads of Southern Colorado. After leaving Houston Enterprises, he had called the airport and booked a flight to Denver from Houston and once the plane landed, rented a car to drive through the night.

He turned on the radio.

"Snow fall could measure eight feet or more in the foothills, especially if the storm picks up strength before it hits the southern half of the state. Chains will be required on most mountain passes later on today…

Light snow fell on the windshield, but for now, just in flurries. He looked at the clock and saw that it read just before 6 a.m., with at least several more hours of driving ahead of him.

* * *

"It looks great, Houston," C.J. said as they walked into the penthouse suite which would serve as the offices of the investigation firm.

"It didn't come cheap," Matt said, "I had to buy the whole building."

"I see," she said, walking around the suite, "There's some good office space over there and a conference room, here."

"Yes, and a gymnasium, bar and over there," Matt said, pointing, "A Jacuzzi."

"A what," C.J. asked, "You're kidding, right?"

"I'm serious, there's nothing that hits the spot better after a long hard day out in the field than a soak in a hot tub."

C.J. laughed.

"Yeah right," she said.

"What would you suggest instead," Matt said.

"A child care service for our future employees if they need one?"

Matt's eyes narrowed.

"Is there something you haven't told me?"

C.J.'s face flushed.

"No, I just thought it would be nice for any working mothers," she said.

Matt looked at her then nodded.

"You're absolutely right," he said, "It'll go right over there."

She smiled.

"So when are you going to fill it with children?"

C.J. opened her mouth in protest.

"Not today, who knows, maybe in the future." she said, "What about you?"

"Someday, I'd like to have children, more than one so that they could have the siblings I didn't have" Matt said, thoughtfully.

"Me too," C.J. said, softly, "It was hard sometimes being an only child."

"But in the meantime, I'll settle for the hot tub," Matt said.

C.J. rolled her eyes at her boss and walked away.

* * *

Kelly and Jed headed towards Reed's ranch, which was ahead, just behind the mist.

"The visibility is already fading," Jed said, "We're in for a difficult time and we've got to beat that storm."

"I think we'll be okay," Kelly said, "Reed's got some other hands to help us today."

"He's got about a hundred head."

"Hopefully, they're all corralled together."

Kelly chirped to Sienna and they headed down the path which narrowed until it reached the entrance of the ranch.

"I think I'm going to call Jonathon when we get back tonight," Jed said, "And find out what he's got planned."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Kelly, it's going to be okay," Jed said, "Jonathon will think of something to make this right again."

"I know Jed," she said, "I do trust him but I also know I'm not going back to that place, to him."

"We're going to do everything we can to stop that from happening," Jed said.

Kelly nodded.

"He said I would never get away from there," she said, "That I would be under his control forever. "

"He was a thug and he was wrong," Jed said, "You did get away and you're not going back."

* * *

Jonathon picked up his phone. He had contacted the office in Denver to dispatch agents as soon as possible to his mother's ranch near Silver Lode but red tape hindered his efforts. He finally had slammed down the phone before picking it up again.

"Hello, is this Roy Houston?"

"Yes, I'm him," Roy said, from the other end in Los Angeles, "What the hell has been going on?"

"I don't where to start," Jonathon said, "But your nephew is on his way to Colorado to where C.J. is being kept."

"I'm booking a ticket and I'm going to take the first plane out of here," Roy said, "He asked me to babysit Scott but he's in Houston."

"Yes, he dropped by and your nephew ended up flattening him," Jonathon said, "He's thinking about pressing assault charges."

"What about charges being filed against him," Roy said, "I know he's deeply involved with this mess."

"I don't doubt it," Jonathon said, "But we don't have a case against Scott."

"I'm coming to Houston to help Chris out," Roy said, "At least it looks like Dan is going to pull through."

"We assigned protection to both of them and the other women," Jonathon said, "I'm not sure they're targets but better to be in the safe side."

"What about C.J.?"

"I'm trying to expedite the dispatching of agents to where she's staying," Jonathon said, "There's still red tape to cut through to get them there."

"My nephew will keep her safe," Roy said, "He's never going to let anything happen to her."

"I hope you're right," Jonathon said, "But he could be going into a very dangerous situation if he's not careful."

* * *

Matt turned his car into a parking lot after passing the sign announcing that he had reached Silver Lode. He watched as men ran back and forth between a voluntary fire services truck. Three of them held onto a hose pouring water onto a smoldering structure that looked like it had been a hotel room.

He parked his car and got out of it. A small group of people had congregated around the scene, watching the activity. He walked up to a woman standing apart from the group.

"Hey, what happened here?"

She turned around and looked at him.

"You don't look like you're from these parts," she said, smiling, "But that's a compliment."

Matt smiled back.

"I'm Matt Houston, a private investigator out of Los Angeles and I'm here on business, looking for someone."

The woman shook his hand.

"Welcome to Silver Lode, my name is Bonnie. I run the general store, there" she said, pointing to the market, "Though there's not usually this much excitement."

"Was there a fire?"

Bonnie nodded.

"The fire marshal said it was a man who fell asleep while smoking, but I don't believe him."

"Why is that," Matt said.

" Because this man was like you, someone who came from out of town on business," Bonnie said, "And he's been in our quiet little town less than a week and now he's dead. Just doesn't make any sense."

"What kind of business brought him to town?"

Bonnie shrugged.

"I don't know," Bonnie said, "I'd never seen him before this week."

Matt walked up to the fire marshal who was directing fire fighters to different spots of what was left of the fire. A coroner's van had pulled up and two police officers picked up opposite ends of the body bag and were hoisting it into the vehicle.

He introduced himself and the fire marshal, with soot on his face turned around to look at him.

"Who was that man," Matt asked.

"Do you know him," the fire marshal asked, "We found some identification which is very fortunate considering what the fire did to his body."

"No I didn't know him," Matt said, "I just got into town."

"We're looking for next of kin, before we announce anything," the fire marshal said, "It looks like it might make front page in the local newspaper."

* * *

C.J. and Julia heard about the fire next morning on the news, after they arrived back at the apartment. After washing the grime and soot off of themselves, they had settled down by the fireplace while C.J. prepared some tea.

She pulled her robe around her tightly, but still felt cold despite the warmth from the fire. During her shower, she had noticed that one of her shoulders had been burned by a falling ember but it didn't hurt much.

"That damn place burned to the ground," Julia said, as they watched a blonde reporter talk about the blaze with the shouldering embers in the background.

"That's not surprising," C.J. said, "It was an older house, completely wooden."

"You're really calm about all this girlfriend," Julia said, "I was so scared."

"I'm just glad it's all over."

"Who were those men that Scott got tangled up with," Julia said, "Were they like the mafia?"

C.J. shook her head and sipped her tea.

"No, much worse," she said, "They were untouchables."

"That's why you didn't want to talk to the police?"

"Partly," C.J. said, "I didn't mean to upset Jonathon. He has every right to want to report what happened to him, to us, but it won't do any good in this case. You need to trust me on that."

"I do, C.J.," Julia said, "But Jonathon's going to do what he thinks is right."

"I know," C.J. said, "Look, it's morning and getting late and we have a property law study session at the library in less than two hours."

"So take the day off," Julia said, "I can't go to campus after last night."

"I need to go today," she said, looking at her mug, "I need to put this behind me."

"Can you do that," Julia said, "Can you forget, just like that?"

"If I have to, I can at least try," C.J. said, "Harvard means everything to me."

Julia went to the phone to listen to the recorded messages.

"Oh look, you got one from Matt," she said.

"He must have found a way to make a personal phone call," C.J. said, "He can't tell me where he's assigned. Did he leave a number?"

Julia shook her head.

"He said, he had five minutes on the phone and that he just wanted to tell you that he was thinking of you and missed you a whole lot."

"I miss him a whole lot too," C.J. said.

* * *

Kelly found herself thinking of him as she approached the entrance of the ranch with Jed. They hooked up with Reed and some other hands on horseback and galloped off to where the cattle were located to get to work. Hopefully, all the cattle would be moved out before the storm hit the valley later that day.

"There they are," Jed said, pointing his finger at a small herd of them, "It looks like they've split up into two or three groups."

Reed rode up close to Jed and Kelly.

"We're going to head out on the first group of them," he said, "They're steers so it shouldn't be too tough."

He took off and Kelly and Jed rode on behind him.

* * *

Matt stood next to Bonnie, watching the coroner's van drive off to the building where the autopsy on the man would be conducted. Matt gave the coroner his card and told him to call him after the autopsy was completed. The coroner nodded, and stepped in his vehicle.

"Damn shame what happened to that poor man," Bonnie said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, hopefully the autopsy will shed some light on any alternative cause of death if the fire didn't get him first."

"So you think it's fishy too," Bonnie said.

"I'm not sure what to think," Matt said, "But I know I've seen or heard about more than my share of explosions and fires in the past several days."

"I know what you mean," Bonnie said, "I heard about the one in Washington, D.C. at the train station."

"Actually maybe you can help me," Matt said, pulling out his wallet, "I'm looking for a young woman who I was told is living around here somewhere."

He pulled out a picture of C.J. smiling in front of his beach house.

Bonnie looked at it, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I know her," she said, "Why are you looking for her? Are you her husband or something?"

Matt shook his head.

"I'm a close friend of hers and I'm very worried about her," he said, "I need to find her."

"How well do you know her," Bonnie asked, "I'm asking because she's not like anything in that picture you have."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a hand at a ranch down the road some miles from town," Bonnie said, "Her name's Kelly. She's been there for at least six months."

"Thanks," Matt said, "Can you give me directions?"

"What's going on here," Bonnie asked, "Why the urgency? Is she in trouble?"

"No, some really bad men have been trying to find her and time's running out," Matt said, "I've got to find her first."

"I'm coming with you," Bonnie said, "Just let me close up shop and I'll go with you to the ranch."

"That's not necessary," Matt said.

"Don't argue with me," Bonnie said, "If she's in danger, I want to help. She's been a really good friend to me."

Matt nodded.

"Okay, we'd better get going," he said.

Bonnie started to go back to the store then paused.

"You're not the only one who showed me a photo of her today," she said, "Two other men did wearing suits, definitely not from around these parts. They said they worked for the federal government."

"I doubt that's the case," Matt said, "The feds know where she is and are sending their own people. What did you tell these men?"

Bonnie snorted.

"That I never saw her before in my life," she said, "I'm small town, but I'm not stupid and my instincts told me not to trust them, but someone else will tell them where she is staying."

"Then we've really got to get going," Matt said.

* * *

The group broke for lunch, eating stew while watching the cattle wander around the icy pasture.

"Damn, it's getting hard to see out there with that mist," Reed said, digging into his stew, "How much time do you think we have?"

Jed looked at the sky.

"A few hours, until it comes," he said, "We'll do what we can but we can't mess around in that storm. If there's a whiteout, we might not be able to make it back to the ranch."

"I think we can make it," Kelly said, "We've gotten a lot done so far."

"I can't wait until the spring," Reed said, "I hate winters."

"Come on Reed, it's not so bad out here," Jed said, "We could be further up in the mountains and get a real winter."

"I'll settle for the ones we get down in the valley, thank you very much," Reed said, "But we do have beautiful springs and summers here. I wouldn't trade it for anywhere else."

"He's right about that, Kelly," Jed said, "You couldn't appreciate them when you arrived but it's the most beautiful place on earth."

Kelly nodded, distracted.

* * *

"It's so beautiful here," C.J. said, looking over the valley where a river snaked its way through a forest of evergreens below where they stood. The sun had begun its trek across the pale blue sky.

"It is indeed," Matt said, "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Good," she said, nodding, "And Hoyt called and said that the officer's going to be fine. She just suffered a slight concussion when Dean knocked her out."

"How are you feeling," Matt said, looking at her.

"I don't know, I miss him so much, Houston," C.J. said, "It was evil what Dean did, killing him like that. Carl didn't do anything wrong except love me."

"What's wrong with loving you," Matt said, "I didn't see Carl complain about that. I don't think he would want you to act like what he did and felt were wrong."

She nodded.

"I know, it's just really, really hard not to feel like that."

"I know how much that hurts, C.J.," Matt said, putting his hands in his pockets.

She looked at him and rubbed his shoulder.

"I know you do," C.J. said, softly. "It's just not fair that the people in our lives have to suffer. It's almost enough to give up so you can spare your livelihood from people who might be hurt by it."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, I would have never made it through that nightmare if it hadn't been for you," he said, "You were there for me the whole time."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else if you needed me," C.J. said.

"Now it's my turn," Matt said, "Come on, I'm going to cook us some breakfast. I make a pretty good Texas omelet I've been told."

"Yeah, I've heard," C.J. said, "I also heard you nearly burned the ranch house down when you first tried to cook it."

"I've had some time to perfect it since then," he said as they walked back into the cabin.

* * *

Matt concentrated on his driving through the mountain pass.

"How much further until we get there?"

Bonnie looked at the road.

"About 10 miles or so," she said, "It's supposed to snow tonight so you might not be able to head out on this road tonight."

"I'll worry about that later," Matt said, "We've got to get there before those men do."

"What's going on here anyway," Bonnie said, "Who's after Kelly?"

Matt's phone rang. He picked it up.

"Hello, this is Matt."

"Jonathon," the voice said, "Where are you?"

"I'm on my way to your mother's ranch," Matt said, "Did you get those extra men?"

"I'm still working on that," Jonathon said, "They should be out by morning."

"Hopefully that's good enough," Matt said, "But I just left another body burned to a crisp in a motel in Silver Lode and some men were showing C.J.'s picture around claiming to be from the federal government."

Jonathon sighed on the other end.

"That's not good," he said, "I'm going to call them and expedite it."

"How's Dan doing?"

"He's improving," Jonathon said, "He's very lucky to even be alive."

"I hope that luck continues for all of us," Matt said, "I'll talk to you later."

"When you see her," Jonathon said, "Tell her I'm on my way and I've got some men coming."

Matt clicked off his phone. Bonnie looked up at him.

"So, is that going to be your reinforcements?"

"Hopefully," Matt said, "But they have to get here fast."

"It's the next turnoff," Bonnie said.

* * *

Kelly rode up behind Jed as they herded the cattle through the open gate into the nearby pasture. Snow flurries caressed her face and she pulled the collar of her jacket up around her neck.

"I'm going after that stray," Jed said to the others.

"Do you need any help," Kelly said, pulling on Sienna's reins.

"Ride around behind me to the other side."

Kelly took Sienna around and the mare knew what to do. She cantered over to the lone steer.

"How you feeling," Jed said.

"Really good," Kelly said, "It's not too cold and the fresh air always feels really good."

"Hopefully, the snow will hold off a while longer," Jed said.

* * *

Matt pulled up in the driveway of the ranch and parked his car.

"Thea, Jonathon's mother should be here," Bonnie said, "But it looks like everyone else is gone."

Matt and Bonnie walked up to the front door and he rung the doorbell.

A flurry of activity and a barking dog sounded until the door finally opened and a woman with a thick head of salt and pepper hair and a smile stood before them.

"You must be Matt Houston," she said.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Here's another one! Thanks so much for the comments and I hope you have a merry holidays!

* * *

Matt looked at the woman standing in the doorway.

"How do you know who I am," he asked.

Thea smiled.

"My son called me," she said, "Not that I needed him to tell me who you were."

"Then you know why I'm here," Matt said.

Thea nodded.

"Come on inside out of the cold," she said, "My name's Thea."

"You know my name already," Matt said, "But nice to meet you."

"I've heard about you a bit," she said, "You look just like I pictured you."

He extended his hand and Thea shook it.

"Would you like some coffee or tea," Thea said, "How about you Bonnie?"

"Some tea would be great," Bonnie said.

"I'll take some coffee," Matt said, as Thea led them into the living room. He looked around and saw the pictures hanging up on the wall. "You have quite an impressive spread here."

"It's not bad," Thea said, "Are you a rancher?"

"My daddy was like his daddy before him," Matt said, "But mostly he was into oil."

Thea nodded and poured some coffee for him.

"It's mighty cold to be out in the valley today," she said, "We have a storm coming later on. You're going to have to spend the night here."

"I'm here to see…"

"C.J., yes I know," Thea said, "She's out with the men working at a neighboring ranch before the storm hits. They won't be back until later today."

Bonnie looked at the both of them.

"Who's C.J.?"

"Honey, that's Kelly's real name," Thea said, "I suppose it doesn't matter who knows now."

"She's got some hit men leaving a trail of bodies to find her," Matt said, "They might be on their way here."

Thea nodded.

"We can take care of ourselves out here in the valley," Thea said, "And we're not about to let anything bad happen to your friend."

"Jonathon's sending some more men from Denver, but he's not sure they can get here before tomorrow morning."

"If not, we're going to have to activate the phone tree Bonnie and get folks on out here," Thea said.

"These men are professionally trained killers," Matt said.

"We know that," Thea said, "We also know that they don't have any right to mess with anyone in the valley and that they're coming whether we invited them to our land or not."

"There's not anyone in the valley who doesn't own at least one shotgun," Bonnie said, "We can take care of our own."

"They might need more than that if these guys show up here," Matt said, "I have a friend in the hospital who nearly got blown up by a bomb meant for Jonathon."

Thea shook her head.

"Men like that have no conscience," she said, "They're lucky it's going to be the federal authorities they will ultimately answer to and not me for trying to harm my son."

"I'm not arguing with you," Matt said, "But these men are very dangerous and they've been given their orders. They'll kill anyone who gets in their way."

"They'll be messing with the wrong people if they show up here," Thea said, "These are our homes and our lands and we will protect them."

* * *

Jed and Kelly joined up with Reed and the other hands, and looked back as the cattle settled into their pastures closer to the ranch.

"It looks like we finished just in time," Jed said, looking at the darkening sky.

"We should head back and get something to eat before you head on back," Reed said, "I know my mom will be glad to see you all."

Jed nodded and the three of them headed back down the trail to the ranch house.

* * *

C.J. pulled the reins on her mare and glanced in the distance at the figure on horseback. She pulled her hat down over her brow and chirped to her horse to move forward. She rode across the meadow, her braided hair flying behind her, the grassy plain blurring past her.

The figure on the sorrel quarter horse turned around suddenly and she pulled her horse to a stop a short distance away.

"Don't think I didn't see you coming on up here," the boy said.

He was dressed like she was, from the sole of his worn boots to the tip of his cowboy hat. Like her, his body wore denim as its uniform and a faded flannel shirt. Needless to say, it fit differently on him than it did on her. At 14, she was beginning to notice these things.

"Houston, you have eyes on the back of your head," C.J. said, "Your daddy and my uncle said we're supposed to work together."

"You work that half of the field and I'll work this half," he said.

C.J. looked around.

"Why is my half a lot bigger than your half?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm just testing what you said," he said, "You told me that you read in some magazine that a woman had to work twice as hard as a man to get paid half as much. Now, we both know that we're getting paid equally nothing for our work so I just wanted to see if the rest of what you said was true."

C.J. looked at him.

"We both know that's not how it works," she said.

"So do you want to be a rancher?"

"No, I want to be a lawyer," she said. "I want to argue cases before the Supreme Court."

Her passion for what she wanted in life stopped his teasing in its tracks as it often did.

"You'll be a great one, I know it," Matt said, "You're smart and you sure like to talk a lot."

"Nothing wrong with either," C.J. said, "What do you want to be?"

"I never really thought about it much," he said, "I guess I'm going to be an oilman like my daddy but I think I might want to do something else."

"You can do anything you want," she said, "or be anything. You're very bright. You just need to spend more time studying."

"I know and less time playing," Matt said, nodding.

"You need to find a balance," C.J. said, "Between the two. That's what my uncle tells me anyway."

"You're right," Matt said, "I'll start tomorrow. And so will you."

C.J. nodded.

"Because you need to stop hitting the books all the time and play more."

She turned and looked at him.

"What," she said, "I play plenty, I just have my priorities straight."

"So do I," he said, "Why don't we study tomorrow and then go fishing afterward?"

C.J. thought about it.

"That'll work," she said, "So what can you do better than me again?"

"I can beat you in a horse race across this meadow," Matt said, shaking the reins and taking off across the pasture. C.J. shook her head and took off after him, the wind on her back thinking for a moment that there was no greater place on earth.

* * *

"I finally got the men we needed and they'll definitely be at the ranch by tomorrow morning," Jonathon said on the phone, "The storm might be causing some delays."

"Hopefully that will be soon enough," Matt said, "After what I just drove away from in Silver Lode."

"Yeah, the coroner called my office and identified the man as Jack Pruitt, a retired federal agent who's been working as a private detective and security consultant."

"What was he doing in Silver Lode," Matt asked.

"I might know the answer to that, but I'll have to ask one of my mom's ranch hands for more information."

"A ranch hand?"

"It's a long story," Jonathon said, "But apparently, this guy in town was the one who discovered evidence that some people in my organization might be on the take."

"And then he dies mysteriously in a fire".

"Oh the fire didn't kill him," Jonathon said, "The medical examiner found two gunshot wounds to the chest during the autopsy."

"Sounds like the hit men paid him a visit."

"It's been labeled a homicide and handed off to the county sheriff's," Jonathon said, "Although the FBI will be sending some agents into town as well."

"Why was he there and how did they find him?"

"No one knows the answer to those questions," Jonathon said, "That's what we need to find out."

* * *

Kelly saw the strange vehicle tailing them as they rode their horses down a dirt path adjacent to the street, trying to beat the snow storm back to Reed's house. Usually, the short road didn't see much traffic and Reed's ranch was just over the hill. She looked around and saw the tinted windows through the falling snow.

"Is Reed's mother expecting company," she asked Jed.

He turned his head and narrowed his eyes.

"I've never seen that car before," he said.

Then the vehicle passed them, closely and then turned around and stopped, blocking the road about 10 yards ahead of them. The other ranch hands pulled the reins on their horses and just looked at each other.

Before the men stepped out of the black sedan, Kelly knew. She pulled back on Sienna's reins.

"It's them," she said, "They found me."

Two men got out of either side of the car with guns drawn.

"We're here for the woman," one of them said, "The rest of you can leave now. Do not interfere in any way or do anything foolish."

"Who are you," Reed said.

Jed reined his horse and pulled up in front of Kelly's.

"You're not taking her," Jed said, "And you can tell your boss that he's done hurting her."

"That's not very wise," the man said, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

"It's not going to be the easy way," Jed said, "So why don't you go back and tell your boss that?"

The man looked at Kelly.

"Come along now, Ms Parsons" he said, "Make it easy on your friends and come with us."

Kelly shook her head.

"You're going to have to kill me before you take me back to him," she said.

"You're not worth anything to us dead," the man said, "The same's not true about your friends. They're in our way as long as they're alive."

He and the other man aimed their guns at them. The ranch hands looked at one another, as their horses danced nervously.

Kelly looked at the four men whose lives rested in her hands for a moment then she made her decision.

* * *

Matt sat in the living room with Thea and Bonnie, waiting for C.J., Jed and the other ranch hands to return from Reed's ranch.

Thea poured more coffee.

"So Jonathon said his men are going to be here by morning," she said.

Matt nodded, then looked at his watch again.

"She'll be back with them soon," Thea said, smiling, "That snow's really starting to come down."

"It's been months since I've seen her," Matt said, "I've missed her so much."

Thea studied him.

"This isn't what you expected, was it?"

Matt looked at his coffee mug.

"I should never have left town like I did," Matt said, "Not until I was sure everything was all right."

"There's no way to know," Thea said, "if the other person doesn't tell you."

"I should have known anyway," he said, "We go way back, she and I."

"The important thing is what you do now," Thea said. "She really needs a friend, someone she trusts in her corner to help her through this."

"I intend to do that," Matt said, "I care about her very much."

"It's not going to be easy, Matt," Thea said, "She's been through a really rough time, physically and emotionally. She's come a ways since she escaped but a part of her is still imprisoned there."

"Jonathon told me about her injuries."

Thea sighed.

"There's things that happened to her that only she knows about," Thea said, "There's a lot she hasn't told anyone including who's responsible."

* * *

"Okay, I'll go with you," Kelly said, looking around at the other men, "If you let these men go."

"No Kelly," Jed said.

"I want your promise that you won't hurt them first," Kelly said.

The two men holding guns looked at each other, then the leader nodded.

"You have our word," he said.

She looked at Jed.

"I'm sorry, this is the only way," she said, "I can't let any more blood be spilled because of me."

Jed reached for his jacket and put his hand inside of it, slowly. Kelly watched him carefully out of the corner of her eye while speaking to the two men.

"Okay, I'll step down as soon as you let them leave."

"What's to say you won't try to leave with them," the man said.

She looked them in the eyes, her gaze not wavering.

"You have my word."

"Okay," the man said, waving the other ranch hands to leave with his arm, "Go, now."

Kelly breathed a bit more easily. Jed's hand remained in his pocket. The other men looked uneasily at Kelly, then clicked to their horses and rode off.

"I'm staying with Kelly, until she leaves," Jed said, "You can shoot me if you want but I'm not going."

"Now since we all know that they're going to call what passes for local law enforcement here, you're going to have to come with us now," the man said, pointing his gun at the both of them.

The two men moved towards Kelly and her horse, when suddenly, Jed pulled out his handgun and shot one of the men who fell to the ground where he stood. The other whipped his gun out and fired at both of them.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Jed yelled to Kelly and she nudged Sienna's belly with her heels, spurring her into a gallop.

The man fired behind them, a couple of bullets whistling past Kelly's head.

Kelly and Jed rode their horses through the falling snow across the frozen ground. Ahead of them were the other ranch hands.

They stopped their horses when they reached the men. They looked back and saw the man running toward them across the meadow.

"I can't believe he's following us," Kelly said, "There must be more of them coming."

They watched as the man stopped running and then went back to his car.

"He's probably calling them right now," Jed said, breathing heavily, "And they're probably going to hit the ranches."

"We can't go back there," Kelly said, "We'll go to one of the hunting cabins and hole up there for a while."

Jed nodded, and Kelly noticed he held onto his side.

Reed nodded.

"We'll go get help," he said, "We might not get back to you if the snow's thick."

"Sounds like a plan," Jed said as they all dispersed in different directions.

* * *

Matt looked outside the window, at the snow falling and sticking onto the ground.

"It's snowing pretty hard out there," he said.

"The weather service said it might be a pretty good-sized storm," Thea said, "Don't worry, they're smart. They'll head back here before it gets too bad."

"I'm not sure what I'm going to say to her," Matt said.

Thea smiled.

"Oh I think you'll know," she said, "You'll do just fine if you allow yourself."

"I hope so," Matt said, "I don't want to hurt her any worse than she's been already."

"She's a remarkable woman, Matt. She's strong, she works very hard and very resourceful when needed," Thea said, "But I don't think I'm telling anything you don't already know."

"No, you're not," Matt said, smiling, "She's all that and much more."

Thea looked at the young man and smiled, wondering if he knew the depths of his own feelings.

* * *

Kelly and Jed rode through the wall of snow, falling to the cabin. The wind whistled through the trees, and picked up snow on the ground to meet that which fell from the sky. Kelly fought to keep her eyes open and pick out landmarks on the trail ahead.

She looked behind her and noticed Jed had fallen behind and was leaning forward over his horse. She pulled the reins around and rode Sienna back towards him.

"How are you doing," she said, barely hearing her own voice in the wind, "Can you hear me."

He just nodded, but didn't say a word. She put her hand on his shoulder, and noticed it felt damp. She pulled her hand back, and saw blood dripping from her glove. Tears stung her eyes but were quickly blown away. She looked in the direction from which she came and knew she couldn't go back. She would have to go forward to the cabin.

"Oh my god," she said, and saw that Jed struggled just to stay on his horse.

She jumped off Sienna, her legs nearly buckling from the cold wind that struck them, searing through her denim. She put one hand on his horse and another trying to keep him from falling off. His reins remained wrapped in his hands. She loosened one of them and grabbed it, while getting back on her horse.

She rode off slowly, with Sienna picking her way carefully through the rocky trail with Jed trailing behind her. Figuring that the cabin was still about a mile away, she looked for where the trail forked off ahead. She had to get Jed to shelter which was warm and dry, so she could look at his bullet wound and try to stop the bleeding. Hopefully, the cold air would staunch some of the blood flow, enough to prevent him from bleeding out before they got there. She knew from a bullet wound in her own shoulder a couple years ago that there was still time before it became too late to do anything.

"Come on girl," Kelly said to her horse as they headed up the trail.

* * *

Matt and Thea looked up, hearing commotion outside the house. Thea looked out the window into the yard.

"It's Reed," she said, "One of the ranch hands, but he's by himself."

"Where's everyone else," Matt asked.

"I don't know," Thea said, "Something's wrong."

Thea opened the door and Reed came rushing in, short of breath and covered with snow.

"What happened Reed," Thea said, "Where's everyone else?"

He bent over to catch his breath.

"We got ambushed by some men with guns on the way to my house," Reed said, "They were after Kelly."

"Did they get her," Matt asked.

Reed shook his head.

"She offered to go with them if they would let the rest of us go," he said, "Somehow she and Jed got away. I think Jed shot one of the men. He was dead when we rode back."

"Where did Jed and Kelly go," Thea said.

"They rode off to the cabin on the ridge," Reed said, "They thought there might be more men who might show up at the local ranches."

"Bonnie and I will activate the phone tree," Thea said, "Have you talked to anyone else?"

"The other guys are making calls right now," Reed said.

"What about C.J…Kelly," Matt said, "Was she hurt?"

"I don't know, but I think Jed was hurt," Reed said, "He didn't talk very much."

Thea looked at Matt.

"I'm going up there," he said, "They might need help."

Thea nodded.

"Reed, get him a horse from the barn," she said.

"But it's snowing like crazy," Reed said, "He'll never make it up that ridge. He doesn't even know the area."

"He's right, they might need our help up there especially if one or both of them are hurt," Thea said, "Give him directions and pack up the first aid kit. I'll get him some warmer clothes from Jonathon's closet."

Reed nodded.

"I hope you're sure about this," Reed said, "Or you're going to find yourself in real trouble."

"I've never been so sure about anything in my life," Matt said.

* * *

Kelly struggled to hold onto her own reins and that of Jed's horse as she rode up the ridge. When she reached the fork, she took the right trail. If she followed it, she would find the clearing with the cabin in about 400 yards. The snow made it impossible to see, but she pushed forward, looking back several times to see that Jed had grown silent again.

Sienna neighed as she pushed through the snow, her feet gaining some traction from the rocky trail. Finally, Kelly saw the outline of the cabin ahead, and a smaller dwelling next to it. She rode to that dwelling and jumped off her horse. She pulled Jed's horse into the small shed and gingerly helped him dismount his horse. He slid into her, nearly knocking her over but she held him upright and half walked, half dragged him to the cabin's door.

"I'm sorry, I'm not much help," Jed mumbled.

"It's okay," Kelly said, "I was always stronger than I looked."

She reached for the door knob, hoping it wasn't locked and found it turned easily in her hand. She pushed it open and looked inside at darkness.

"The power's on a generator," Jed said, "It's in the back. If there's no gas left in it, there's candles and flashlights in the kitchen."

The cabin was more spacious than Kelly had thought. In the darkness, she could make out a larger living room with a fire place and an adjoining kitchen and bedroom. Kelly bumped into what turned out to be a worn sofa and several chairs and a table in front of the fire place.

Jed struggled to sit on the couch and Kelly stumbled into the kitchen where she found that the generator worked and soon the cabin was filled with some light. She saw skins of animals and stuffed fish hanging from the walls and pictures of hunters, including one of a younger Jonathon with an older man who looked like he did now. A ladder in front of one wall led to a loft upstairs.

She found a small first aid kit in the kitchen but didn't know what good it would do against a bullet wound. She knew she had to try to stop the bleeding and find out how seriously injured Jed had been.

"I hope this doesn't hurt," she said, gently unbuttoning his shirt after removing his jacket. Jed shivered after she removed his shirt, which was stained with blood.

"You'd better start a fire so we can get some heat," Jed said, "Or we're going to freeze."

Kelly looked at the fireplace, which had kindling wood and a stack of wood next to it. After several attempts, a fire erupted from the lumber and a soft heat permeated the cabin.

The wound bled profusely so Kelly found some gauze in the kit and pressed on the wound. The flesh looked angry, with only one small penetrating wound into his shoulder area, near his collar bone. She knew from similar bullet wounds that it was likely the bullet was lodged in the shoulder and could only be removed by a surgeon. The dangerous part was how close the bullet rested near a major artery. If it nicked the artery or worse, he could bleed to death within minutes.

But he hadn't so far, so she figured the major arteries must be still intact. But how long would his luck hold out, she didn't know. She said a silent prayer as she held the pad to his shoulder.

* * *

Matt grabbed the reins and mounted the horse, while Reed gave him instructions on how to reach the cabin. He told him to focus on landmarks, due to poor visibility. Matt nodded and rode the horse out of the barn into the blinding, swirling snow.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," Reed said, "One wrong turn and you'll die out there."

"I'm going to find them," Matt said, and Reed watched him ride off until he disappeared into the snow.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Here's another installment. Sorry it took so long with the holidays and internet woes. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

Matt rode his horse across a barren clearing, straining to see ahead of him. He remembered the instructions that Reed had given him but the snow swirling around him made him feel turned around. Ahead he saw a row of trees where the trail began which would hopefully lead up the ridge. If it didn't, then he was already in serious trouble and would know that soon enough.

Thea had given him a thicker coat, gloves and a warm hat and he fully appreciated her gesture after riding through the elements for nearly an hour. He reached the thicket of trees and saw a narrow rocky trail leading up the ridge from the midst, the path he was to follow. He began the journey upward.

* * *

"How's the shoulder," Matt asked at the party his friends had thrown him welcoming him back from several weeks spent on the run trying to clear himself of a murder that he hadn't committed. During the effort to vindicate Matt and hunt down the real killers, C.J. had been shot by one of the bad guys.

"Not bad," C.J. said, pouring herself some wine, "It only hurts when I laugh at one of Murray's jokes."

Matt smiled.

"Yeah, they're pretty funny. Who would have thought" he said, "The inner workings of a CPA, he should write a book."

"He means well," she said looking across the room where Murray stood in front of a group of guests regaling them with his sense of humor.

"C.J., I'm sorry that you got hurt because you were trying to help me," he said.

"Houston, it goes with the territory," she said, "Thankfully, you keep your employees well insured."

"I 'm serious. It could have been a lot worse."

"Maybe, but if I had to do this all over, I would do it again," C.J. said, "I know you would never kill anyone in cold blood. Never in a million lifetimes."

He looked at her.

"Thank you for saying that," he said, drawing her in his arms and hugging her.

"I meant what I said earlier," she said, "Every word of it. I will always be there for you."

* * *

Kelly looked at Jed's wound again. The bleeding had slowed a bit, but his face looked ashen. She wrapped more gauze strips around the pad she had placed on the wound.

"That should help for a while," she said, "But you need a surgeon to take that bullet out."

"You sure you can't just give me a shot of whiskey and something to bite, while you remove it yourself?"

Kelly smiled at his attempts to infuse humor into a bad situation.

"Afraid a shot wouldn't do it," she said, "You'd need a whole bottle."

"Sounds like someone with experience in bullet wounds," Jed said.

"I've had one here, one there," she said, "Occupational hazard."

"I thought law was rough, but I had no idea…"

"No, it's from the PI side of Houston's business," she said, "My latest, hopefully last bullet wound was the worst. Houston and I were held captive for a couple of days and I couldn't get to a hospital."

"Sounds rough," Jed said, "You obviously made it through that situation fine."

Kelly nodded.

"I wouldn't be here today, if it hadn't been for Houston getting me out of there," she said, "I was out of it most of the time, thankfully but I remember him holding me and telling me to hang on."

Jed moved his body gingerly on the couch to get more comfortable.

"That's what you got to do, Kelly you've got to hang on," he said, "You're going to get through this and come out of it the other side."

"I wish I could believe you," she said, sitting on the floor with her back against the couch.

* * *

Matt urged his horse up the trail, and the roan gelding dug his feet into the ground, gaining traction from the rocky surface beneath the snow. He knew he was supposed to look for a fork in the trail which would split it in half. One way led toward the cabin, the other down the sheer side of the ridge. Not much of a choice, as he searched his memory for the directions that Reed had given him.

Was the cabin to the left or to the right of the fork in the road? His horse turned his head toward him waiting for further direction. The snow blinded both of them to what lay ahead down either path. Matt felt the chill of the stormy night begin to soak into his body and knew he had to decide fast. C.J. needed him to decide which direction led to her fast.

He nudged his horse to the left and began down that trail, when suddenly the gelding stopped and looked around, its flanks tensing. It whinnied softly.

Then Matt heard it coming from all directions, the screaming of another horse, one he couldn't see. A stallion, by the sound of it. He looked around, for its source, inadvertently tugging too hard on the reins. His horse danced in place but didn't lose traction. Suddenly, he saw it standing ahead of him, the silhouette of a large stallion, tall in the shoulder and standing firmly on four legs. He thought he could see its mane ripple and one of its forelegs paw the ground. It looked real but was it?

When he tried to move his horse forward down that trail, the stallion screamed louder and pawed the ground more furiously, digging through the snow. Matt couldn't see him clearly but in his mind's eye, he knew what lay ahead just beyond the curtain of the whirling snow.

Shrugging his shoulders, he decided the stallion wouldn't let him pass, so maybe he would choose the other trail and hope he had chosen more wisely this time. But inside he knew, the stallion had chosen for him and that he should trust it.

He pulled the reins and the gelding willingly followed, heading down the other trail where hopefully about 500 yards or so, a cabin stood.

* * *

Kelly pulled a blanket over Jed, noticing his quiet breathing as he settled into some sort of slumber. She hoped it was just sleep and that he wasn't drifting into unconsciousness but knew there was little she could do if that were the case. In the distance, she thought she heard the voice of a stallion, but then again, thought it was probably just the howling wind of the valley's first serious snow storm in a month.

She thought about what had just happened, how quickly life could turn on you, as quickly as the weather in this valley. The worst of it, was that Jed had gotten hurt trying to protect her from her nightmare and had paid with a bullet wound that could still take his life away. When she had volunteered to go back to Andre, she had meant it even as it terrified her. No more lives could be used to pay the price for her freedom. But Jed had decided to fight the men who were sent to take her and they had gotten away at least for a while.

A license on life.

Just as there had been when she had jumped over several dozen feet into the churning river months ago, fully expecting death. When she had surfaced, after being tumbled around like a shoe inside a washing machine, she never expected to take that first breath again, before the river grabbed hold of her again. In that first breath, returned everything in her life that she'd lost back in front of her. Her hands stung, from the lacerations getting splashed with icy water as she fought the current, trying to find something to hold onto that was real.

Her mind had clouded with images of her captors, including Andre and she shut her eyes to block them out. She had left them behind her, in fact Andre had left the country on business, when she had escaped.

He had visited her room, before leaving.

"I will be back in a week," he said, "You have the time to think about what's going to happen to you when I return."

She just glared at him, from where she sat.

"Semour will be watching over you in my absence," Andre said, then stroked her hair, before pulling it, "The days ahead will allow you to think about your betrayal."

"I won't be thinking about anything but your death," she said.

Andre laughed.

"We can talk about your own when I return," he said, "By the time it finally comes, you might consider it a mercy killing."

Months later, she pulled her coat around her shoulders, feeling the chill despite the warmth of the fire. There were some places within her, it could never reach.

* * *

"Damn, I hope this is the right direction," Matt told his horse who struggled up the ever narrowing path, "I guess we'll find out soon enough or they'll find us when the snow melts."

The gelding trudged forward and Matt leaned forward to try to see what lay ahead of them.

Finally, just outside the veil of the snow, Matt could see it, the cabin, with a faint glow emerging from its window. So close, but yet still so far away. He urged his horse forward toward the cabin, through the drifts which formed on the ground. He encountered a smaller building and saw two horses still saddled standing in it. He climbed off his horse and tied him near the others then removed the first aid kit before heading towards the cabin.

* * *

"I'll be right back," Kelly said, "I better go check on the horses. And I think there's some stew left over in the saddle bag."

"There should be some food in the kitchen, at least canned goods, if you're hungry."

"I'll be back," she said, "You need to get some rest."

He grabbed her arm.

"Take my gun, just in case."

She picked it up and put it in her coat pocket, before stepping out into the storm. Snow piled on the ground and she couldn't see in front of her face. She headed towards the shed, taking each step carefully.

Suddenly, she saw a figure walk out of it, brushing off his coat. She placed her hand in the pocket which held the gun.

Damn, she should have known he would send more men and that by now, they had time to reach the cabin. They must have left some trail or maybe the men forced its location out of one of the ranchers.

"Don't move one step closer," she shouted, pulling the gun out of her pocket.

The man froze and looked up, his coat wrapped tightly around him and his hat shielding the top part of his face.

Matt looked up and saw the slight figure standing in front of him with a gun pointed at him.

"Take it easy," he said, buying some time for a response of his own in case it was a bad guy who somehow beat him to the cabin.

Kelly looked up at the man and saw a stranger who was going to force her to go back to him, something she couldn't imagine. Then she saw Andre standing in the snow and hated him for what he had turned her into.

She froze, but she still aimed the gun at the man.

"If you come one step closer, I'm going to shoot," she said, "And I won't miss."

Matt looked up at the sound of her voice.

"C.J.,"

She pressed her finger harder on the trigger.

"I mean it, you back off right now and leave or you die," she shouted, "I am never going back with you."

Matt raised his hands,dropping the kit.

"It's okay, look nothing in my hands," he said.

"Keep them where I can see them."

"Wait a minute, it's me, Matt Houston, is that you, C.J.?"

"You don't look like him," she said, still aiming the gun.

Matt pulled off his hat and looked at her. She took in the sight of his face and saw it was him and a dozen emotions hit her at once.

"What are you doing here," she said, the gun shaking slightly.

"I'll answer as soon as you put the gun away," he said, gesturing to it.

She lowered it slowly.

"Are you okay," he said, picking up the kit and walking up to her.

She looked down at the ground and he stopped, several feet away.

"Jed's hurt bad," she said, gesturing to the cabin, "He took a bullet in the shoulder."

"Is it still in there?"

C.J. nodded.

"He needs a doctor but we can't leave until it stops snowing."

"I brought a kit," Matt said, "I arrived at the ranch this afternoon and Reed dropped by and told us what happened."

"They caught us unexpected on the trail," she said, rubbing her eyes, "Jed shot one of them and we just barely got away from the other one."

"Yeah, one of them died from his injuries and the other, disappeared," Matt said, "He's probably getting reinforcements."

C.J. looked around in the darkness.

"We'd better get inside," she said, "It's really snowing."

He followed her inside the cabin and saw Jed on the couch. He moved over to check his injury.

"You did a good job stopping the bleeding," Matt said, "It must be wedged near the collar bone. After it stops snowing, they'll be sending a crew out here to get us."

"She did a great job," Jed said, "She must have had practice."

"What about the ranch," C.J. said, "Will the people there be safe from those men?"

"Jonathon is sending some agents from Denver," Matt said, "And Thea said everyone in the valley should be getting their guns and coming to the ranch if necessary."

"They can handle themselves," she said, "They'll be fine until Jonathon's men arrive."

"What about you?"

"I can take care of myself too," she said, "if I have to."

"I know you can, C.J.," Matt said, "But I'm here to help you."

She studied him.

"I know," she said, "It's just been a long time."

"Six months."

"More like a life time ago," she said, "And a different life."

"Okay, then I'm going to help you with Jed," Matt said, "Until they come for us when the snow lets up."

She pondered that then nodded.

"Do you want anything to eat? I can make something in the kitchen."

"Listen, why don't you let me take care of that," he said, "You look exhausted."

"I'm fine," she said, sitting in the chair next to where Jed lay, "But okay, some food would be fine too if you'd like to make some."

"I'll see what's in there to work with," Matt said, "I can't promise anything."

"Then don't," C.J. said, "But thank you."

Matt looked at the woman sitting in the chair, her brunette curls resting on her shoulders and her green eyes, weary as she looked back at him. There were so many words he wanted to say to her right now. Only two came out.

"Missed you," he said, before walking into the kitchen.

She looked at the doorway for a while, then shook her head.

"So that's Houston," Jed asked.

C.J. nodded.

"And you're C.J., somehow that name suits you better," he said.

"He said that Reed made it back to the ranch and Thea and Bonnie are calling all the neighbors."

"They know what to do," Jed said, "We just got to sit tight here until it stops snowing."

"But what about you," she said, "You've got a bullet in you."

"I'll survive, not that it will be pleasant," he said, "But he's right, you do need some rest."

She shook her head.

"I'm fine, I don't think I could rest right now until I know you're okay."

"He seems like a very good man," Jed said, "He's come all this way to find you."

"I know that, Jed," she said, "But I'm not the woman he was looking for. I don't know who I am any more."

"You're the woman who saved my life," Jed said, "If it hadn't been for you, I'd have died back there."

"It's my fault that you got shot," she said, "They were after me to take me back."

"It wasn't your fault, the only people responsible for all these bad things are those who did them with evil in their hearts."

C.J. looked down.

"I was really scared back there," she said, "I think I'm even more scared now."

"That's because he means a lot to you and you care what he thinks," Jed said, "But you won't know what he thinks unless you talk to him."

"I don't even know if I'm ever going to see him again when this is over," C.J. said, "What if I testify and I end up having to go into permanent relocation?"

"Even if that were the case," Jed said, "That makes it all the more important to have that conversation."

* * *

Matt stood by the stove, trying to mix the contents of several canned goods into one edible meal. The smell wafting up from the pot encouraged him to keep trying. He grew up learning how to cook from one of his father's ranch cooks whose resourcefulness and ability to whip up any collection of ingredients into a savory meal amazed Matt. He gave thanks for the lessons he picked up from his friend while growing up in a household where his father had often been absent.

He reached for some bowls and spooned up some soup for himself and C.J. Even under the heavy coat, he could tell she had lost weight since he last saw her. He carried the bowls out to the living room and saw that C.J. had spread out on the chair and fallen asleep with her head resting on top of her hands. He put the bowls down.

"Do you know where I can find a blanket?"

"There's a comforter on the bed in the other room," Jed said. Matt left and then returned with the patterned quilt. He lay it on top of her and tucked the corners in carefully around her.

"She's had a very long day," Jed said, "She practically carried me all the way up here."

Matt squatted down beside where she slept and stroked her hair back from her face. Her brow furrowed from his touch and he saw the jagged scar just above one of her eyebrows. He looked at Jed.

"That's one of the ones you can see," Jed said.

"She's very quiet," Matt said, "I've seen her like this once before."

"I think she's trying hard just to get through the day and not think about the past," Jed said, "Unfortunately that includes her friends and family."

"I'm the closest thing to her family," Matt said, "We both lost our parents and were only children."

"It's not helping that she feels responsible for what happened."

"She shouldn't have to try so hard," Matt said, "It's not her fault what happened to her."

"I think that she's having a difficult time believing that, Matt," Jed said, "I think that's where you come in."

"I want to make her world all right again," Matt said, "And I don't think anything will do that."

"You mean an awful lot to her," Jed said, "But you can't fix this. You need to support her efforts to reshape her own world to what it needs to be."

Matt nodded.

"You've certainly been a good friend to her," he said, "I can see she trusts you."

"She's a wonderful woman," Jed said, "Who deserves a chance at a happy life again. I want to see that she gets that chance. I think that you're an important part of that."

Matt looked down at the sleeping figure for a long time, thinking about what Jed had said and how things were so much different than what they should be.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Hi, Here's the latest installment. I hope you like it and thanks for your comments! Have a happy new year!

* * *

In this dream, she ran away again. Down the endless corridor which grew longer with each step like one of those expandable telescopes. He ran after her, only one step behind as she looked for a way to escape. Snakes filled the corridor, crawling and slithering, the floor beneath her suddenly moving. She recoiled and ran down a different hallway.

"You won't escape from here," the voice said, "No one ever has."

She looked behind her knowing that she couldn't see his face in the darkness. A window appeared in front of her and bracing her arms, she ran through it.

Landing on the grass, she looked around her. The crickets began chirping and the leaves rustled as a soft breeze blew the trees. She saw a different place.

"Where've you been?"

C.J. looked up at Matt who had come out into the patio.

"Just been thinking," she said, "It's beautiful out here."

"About what," he said, sitting beside her.

"Whether or not I'm really ready for law school," C.J. "I leave for Boston next week and I just don't feel ready."

He sat up straight.

"What are you talking about," he said, "Of course you're ready. You graduated with honors."

She smiled.

"So did you."

"Because someone told me more than once, if I applied myself, I could do well in school."

"You always had that, Houston."

He shrugged.

"I know how you feel," he said, "I've been second guessing myself a lot lately on turning down the NFL contract."

"I know you loved playing football but I think you made the right decision," she said, "You'll do great in the military helping defend the country."

"I'm looking forward to it," he said, "I want to try something different and see where I can take it. I can always go back to working with my dad."

"How'd he take the news," C.J. asked.

"He tried to talk me out of it at first," Matt said, "but he grew used to it at least until I come to my senses."

"I think he's proud of you and everything you've accomplished."

Matt smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on one of them.

"I'm going to miss you while I'm gone," he said.

"I'll miss you too," she said, "But this is going to be an exciting new chapter in our lives and we can write to each other telling each other all about it. We have our whole lives ahead of us."

* * *

C.J. woke up, feeling warm beneath the quilt that someone had placed over her. Embers burned in the fire place and the cabin felt chilled. Both Jed and Matt were asleep, nearby. She stood up and went to the fire place to feed the fire with more wood. A pale light shone through a small portion of the window that wasn't iced over. Hopefully that meant the storm had passed over them and was on its way out of the valley.

She walked over to check on Jed, who thankfully was just sleeping and his wound had stopped bleeding. Matt had fallen asleep in one of the chairs. She walked to the kitchen to go make some breakfast and saw the pot of soup that had been prepared. It smelled very good, so she turned on the stove to heat some up. Next up, was preparing some coffee. She didn't know when assistance would arrive from the ranch so they could be in for a wait, especially if the snow were deep.

She put water to boil and rubbed the window in the kitchen to look out of it.

Matt sat up and looked around him, stretching his arms. He had fallen asleep some time during the night. He had thought long and hard about what Jed had said and must have drifted off at some point. He smelled a familiar aroma from the kitchen.

C.J. walked out of the kitchen carrying two mugs of coffee.

"Would you like one," she said, handing one to Matt.

"Thanks," he said, "I made some soup in the kitchen."

"It smelled delicious," C.J. said, "I'm heating it up on the stove for breakfast."

"I guess my experiences spending time with Max in the kitchen must have rubbed off."

"You nearly drove him crazy with all your questions," C.J. said.

Matt laughed.

"I was the son he never had," Matt said, "though not the son who was a culinary genius."

C.J. looked at him, biting her lip.

"I just want to say I'm sorry about last night," she said, "I didn't mean to come off like I did."

Matt sighed.

"What you did was smart, C.J., I could have been anyone out there," Matt said, "You were right to be careful especially after what happened to you and Jed."

"I know, and you're right," she said, "But you're not just anyone, you're my closest friend and I saw someone else standing there instead."

She sat down and he sat down in the chair next to hers, putting his coffee on the table.

"You saw the man that kidnapped you," he said.

She nodded.

"If you hadn't taken your hat off in the freezing cold, I might have killed you."

"But you didn't," Matt said, "And he's not here."

"I know, but he's out there somewhere," C.J. said, "And he's harmed a lot of people to try and find me."

"Jonathon and the feds are trying to find him," Matt said, "But they don't know who to look for."

"Jed's resting comfortably," she said, "I'm worried about moving him if it makes the bleeding start up again."

"If it's stopped snowing, they could be up here in a matter of hours," Matt said.

"Unless they were attacked at the ranch by these men," C.J. said.

"We'll wait a while, and if they don't arrive here, we'll figure out a way to get Jed off of this ridge."

* * *

Jonathon drove down the highway on his way to the ranch. The Denver office of the U.S. Marshal's division had told him that the agents should be close to arriving at his mother's ranch, news which relieved him. His mother and the other ranch hands had spent a restless night maintaining a close watch over the ranch in case more men returned but none came. He told his worried mother that he would be arriving there soon and that people would be sent out to take anyone who had been injured to the nearest trauma center.

His phone rang again.

"Hello," he said.

"This is Chris."

"What's up," he said.

"Have you found Matt," she asked.

"He arrived at the ranch but we're not sure where he's at now," Jonathon said, "C.J. and the ranch hands ran into some trouble yesterday and she and one of them are hopefully holed up in a cabin somewhere."

"What about Matt?"

"He took a horse and went out looking for them," Jonathon said, "My mother's not heard from him since. Hopefully, that means he's with them some place safe."

"So what's next," Chris asked, "What is your office going to do now?"

"We're not sure," Jonathon said, "Probably head up to the Denver office and hold a debriefing there to decide what to do next. That probably means relocating C.J. again."

Chris sighed.

"Will she be any safer in a new location," she said.

"I can't make any promises, Chris," Jonathon said, "These are some very bad characters who seem determined to locate her. We're not exactly sure why at this point."

"I really hope the both of them are all right," she said.

"We're going to be searching for them," Jonathon said, "How's Dan doing?"

"He's improving," Chris said, "They moved him out of intensive care today."

"That's good, Chris," Jonathon said, "I'll call back later when I get to the ranch and find out where things stand."

* * *

Jed sat up, wincing as his shoulder throbbed.

"Take it easy," C.J. said, "You don't want it to start bleeding again."

"I'm fine," Jed said, "Did it stop snowing?"

"Yeah, some time during the night," C.J. said, "Hopefully that means help will be arriving soon."

"I hope the night passed more uneventfully at the ranch," Jed said, "Have you eaten?"

She nodded.

"Houston made some soup," she said, "I feel much better."

"Where's he now?"

"He wanted to go check on the horses," C.J. said, "See how they fared last night."

"They should be fine," Jed said, "They're used to winters here."

The door opened and Matt walked in, brushing snow off of him.

"How deep is it out there," Jed asked.

"A few feet, but we could get out of here if we had to," Matt said.

"How were the horses," C.J. said.

"Fine," Matt said, "None the worse for wear."

"I guess there's nothing to do except wait for the cavalry," Jed said, "We don't want to make the trip down by ourselves unless we absolutely have to."

"That trail is treacherous in the snow," Matt said, "I nearly headed in the wrong direction at the fork last night."

"That would have hurt," Jed said, "Unless you know it's coming, it's about 200 feet straight down."

"It was really strange what stopped me," Matt said, "I was heading that way when suddenly a horse blocked my path and wouldn't let me move forward."

"That's interesting," Jed said, "What did it look like?"

"I couldn't tell anything, I heard it more than saw it," Matt said, "It sounded like a stallion."

C.J.'s eyes brightened.

"Diablo Del Sol," she said, "I bet it was him."

"Diablo Del…what?"

"He's the resident fixture in these parts and has been for years," Jed said, "Guardian of the horses in these mountains and the land."

"I think he saved my life," Matt said.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Jed said, "He woke us up one night when one of our barns filled with mares caught on fire."

"Did you get them all out?"

Jed nodded.

"Just barely," he said, "And we wouldn't have, if this woman here hadn't helped us."

C.J. looked at the both of them, her face flushed.

"I just did my part to help out," she said.

"Don't believe that," Jed said, "She was still recovering from her injuries and got out of bed, on a horse and rode out there. She worked as hard as any man."

Matt looked at C.J.

"That doesn't surprise me," he said.

C.J. looked down at her coffee.

"Jonathon told me you were badly injured trying to escape," Matt said.

She shrugged.

"I healed up quickly enough," she said, "My wrist is almost as good as new."

"How'd you break it?"

"Escaping," she said, "I had a very narrow window of opportunity."

"I'm very glad you took it," Matt said.

"It was my only chance," C.J. said, "I didn't want to die there."

She got up and took both of the coffee mugs in the kitchen to wash them.

Both men watched her go, from where they sat.

"There's a lot behind that statement," Matt said.

"She doesn't talk about it much," Jed said, "I think you're going to have to let her set the pace on that conversation."

"She hasn't told anyone," Matt asked.

"I don't think even Jonathon knows very much," Jed said, "which hasn't made his job any easier."

"If he'd been doing his job, this wouldn't have happened," Matt said.

"Maybe not," Jed said, "But I think he's trying really hard to make up for that."

"But at what cost," Matt said, "It looks like the price has been too damn high already."

* * *

"Jonathon," Thea said, when she saw her son standing in the front doorway, surrounded by about a dozen men, "I'm so glad you're safe."

She went to hug him.

"I got here as soon as I could," he said, "Several of these men will stay and protect the ranch until we're sure the hit men aren't coming back."

"You don't think they will?"

"I think they'll wait until another opportunity comes before they do anything especially with one dead."

She led him and the men inside except for two who stood guard by the door.

"We haven't seen any of them since yesterday," Thea said, "Hopefully they're up at the cabin and safe."

"We're bringing some agents with medical training with us," Jonathon said, "In case someone was injured."

"When will you go," Thea said.

"As soon as they get here."

"It was pretty scary for a while here," Thea said, "But at least Matt was here to help by going out there to find them."

"Yeah, I guess that turned out okay," Jonathon said, "assuming he made it up there."

"I know he did," Thea said, "He was as determined as anyone I've ever seen. He reminds me of you."

Jonathon grimaced.

"We're very different people."

"You both care a lot about C.J."

He nodded.

"But I made a bunch of mistakes," Jonathon said, "And I don't know if I can fix them."

Thea looked at him and the doubt clouding his eyes. She reached out to stroke his hair.

"You can do your best to keep C.J. safe and bring those who hurt her into custody," Thea said, "That's all you can do."

Jonathon rubbed his eyes.

"Easier said than done," Jonathon said, "And there's still so much she hasn't told me."

"Maybe it's too hard right now," Thea said, "Maybe survival comes first and then justice."

* * *

C.J. stood by the window looking out at the snow.

"It looks like the sun's trying to come out again," she said.

Jed grimaced.

"I hope we make it out today," he said.

She turned around and walked over to the sofa where he lay.

"Some way or another, we're going to get out today," she said, "I promise you that."

"Jonathon should be at the ranch by now."

C.J. nodded.

"He's probably going to be bringing in more agents to protect Thea and anyone else."

"I really hope they're okay down there," Jed said.

"I'm sure Thea can take care of herself and anyone else," C.J. said, "She's a very strong woman."

Matt walked in the room.

"How's he?"

"He needs to get down the mountain soon," she said, "The wound's not bleeding but there's danger of infection."

Matt nodded.

"Can he ride?"

C.J. looked at Jed, who nodded.

"If we go slow, I think I can handle it."

Matt looked at C.J.

"How you feeling," he asked.

"Fine, I slept pretty good last night," she said, "I think we need to try it."

She and Matt helped Jed get on his feet and wrapped a blanket around his upper body, careful not to dislodge the bandage on his shoulder. They put on their coats and hats and stepped out the door into the sunlight, hitting the snow. Matt drudged out a path to the shed in the snow, while C.J. assisted Jed to where the horses were. Matt led Jed's horse out and Jed got on, putting his feet in the stirrups and grabbing a loose hold on the reins with his good arm.

"I'll lead on down," C.J. said, after grabbing Sienna's reins and getting on her horse, "You follow behind Jed."

The three of them moved slowly through the drifts to the trail, where the snow had begun to melt, turning it into a slushy mixture of mud and rocks. They kept at a slow pace on the descent, making sure that Jed didn't fall behind. He gamely gritted his teeth on the parts of the ride that jarred his body. Finally after a while, they reached the bottom of the trail.

"There they are," C.J. said, pointing to a group of men on horseback in the distance. Jonathon left that group and headed towards them at a faster pace. He soon met up with the three of them.

"How bad is it," he said, after pulling his horse to a stop.

"He's shot in the shoulder," C.J. said, "We stopped the bleeding but the bullet needs to be removed."

"I've got a medivac waiting in Silver Lode," Jonathon said, "We can pack him up here and head on down there."

C.J. nodded as they rode back together to the ranch.

"Are your other agents here," Matt asked.

"Yeah, they came down from Denver early this morning and secured the ranch, not that it hadn't been already by the ranch hands."

"Are you sure you can trust them?"

"I haven't worked with any of them but most have been working out of Denver for years," Jonathon said, "If you have anything to say to me..."

"It can wait until we get back to the ranch," Matt said.

"Are Thea and the others okay," C.J. asked, interrupting them.

"Yeah, it was a pretty quiet night at the ranch," Jonathon said, "But the other ranchers and their hands kept watch there and at the neighboring ranch."

"I'm glad nothing happened to them," she said.

"Thea's back cooking plenty of food for everyone," Jonathon said, "And the road's already been cleared to Silver Lode to get Jed to some medical help."

They reached the ranch house and Thea met them with the other agents, who stood out in their crisp business suits. She wore a big smile on her face.

"It's so good to see that you're all back and safe," she said, "I made some fresh stew for all of you."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a rain check," Jed said.

Thea frowned.

"What happened to you," she said, "Jumped in front of a bullet?"

"He saved my life," C.J. said, getting off from her horse. Thea went over and hugged her tightly.

"It's so good to see you again," Thea said, "We were worried all night but we figured you were all at the cabin."

"We're fine, except for Jed."

"There's some men who are ready to take him to get that bullet wound taken care of," Jonathon said.

Two men came over.

"There's a helicopter waiting for Jed in Silver Lode," one of them said, "It will fly him to the nearest Trauma Center upstate."

C.J. and Matt helped Jed off his horse and the other two men took over. C.J. put her arms around him.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done, Jed," C.J. said, "I'm so glad you came into my life. I don't think I would have made it without you."

Jed blinked and Matt thought he saw a tear in his eye.

"It's nothing," Jed said, "You're a strong, tough woman, who can rope cattle, split fence and haul a man up and down a mountain. You're going to be just fine if you trust who you are."

"I still have your gun," C.J. said.

"Keep it with you," Jed said, "You can return it to me after this is all over."

C.J. nodded, wiping her eyes.

"I will," she said, then told the two men, "You take good care of him."

They nodded.

"Sure thing," one of them said, "He'll get the best care courtesy of Uncle Sam."

"Thanks for taking care of her," Matt said, grabbing his hand.

"Now it's your turn," Jed said.

The two men carefully led Jed back to the car while the others watched until they left.

"Bonnie's on her way to Silver Lode," Thea said, "She's going to ride with Jed to the hospital and stay with him."

"That's good," C.J. said, "I know she really cares about him."

"And he cares a lot about her, though he won't admit it," Thea said, nodding, "Now the rest of you come in because there's some good food waiting."

* * *

They walked into the kitchen, hit by the tantalizing smell of Thea's signature beef and vegetable stew.

"It's not the same without Jed," C.J. said.

"He's going to be fine," Thea said, putting her arm around C.J.'s shoulder, "He'll be running around the ranch again before you know it."

"So what's next on the schedule," Matt said, as they all sat at the kitchen table.

"We're going back to Denver," Jonathon said, "The office there is holding a briefing on what to do next with C.J.'s status as a protected witness."

"You mean you're going to relocate her?"

Jonathon sighed.

"We're not sure yet," he said, "I was awaiting final word from the AG on upgrading her status before all this started happening."

"That would mean exactly what," Matt said.

"Putting her in another safe location, before any grand jury is convened," Jonathon said, "Giving her another identity, some more papers."

"What guarantee do you have that she'll be any safer this time around," Matt said, "She almost got killed. Jed ended up with a bullet inside of him."

C.J. looked back and forth between the two men.

"Then there's the car bomb that was supposed to take you out that ended up putting Dan in the hospital."

"Wait, what do you mean," C.J. said, "What happened to Dan?"

Matt looked at Jonathon.

"Someone put a bomb in my car," Jonathon said, "It went off when it was parked inside the garage of Houston Enterprises."

"Wait, did Dan get hurt," C.J. said, "Is he okay?"

"I talked to Chris this morning," Jonathon said, "He's been moved out of intensive care."

"Oh my God, we need to go back to Texas to make sure he's all right," C.J. said.

"You're not going anywhere," Jonathon said, "Going there will get you killed."

"Staying here would have gotten me killed," C.J. said, "But that's not what he wants."

"If you would tell us who he is," Jonathon said, "Maybe we would get somewhere to getting him before more people get killed."

C.J. looked at Jonathon a moment, then pushed her chair from the table and got up.

"You don't know what this guy can do like I do. You didn't know then, Jonathon and you don't now," she said, "So why don't you both go back to talking about me and my life like I'm not even here?"

She left the room and Thea looked at her son.

"What did you go and do that for," Thea said, "after what happened last time?"

"We're getting nowhere on this case," Jonathon said, "and there have been bombs set off in two cities, and hit men showing up to your ranch and shooting people."

"And how is being cruel going to help, Jonathon," Thea said, "Is that going to make all the difference?"

"You don't understand how important it is that we get these guys," Jonathon said, "How important it is for C.J. that we do."

"Excuse me," Matt said, getting up from the table, "I've got an apology to make for being a jackass."

* * *

C.J. stood in her bedroom, packing up a suitcase filled with what clothing she had acquired since she came to the ranch. Granville lay on the end of her bed, cleaning his paw and watching her. She brushed the tears out of her eyes, reaching for a sweater.

She heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said, drying her eyes.

Matt walked in the room.

"Where you going," he asked.

"Back to Houston," she said.

He grabbed her arm and she yanked away, holding her arm.

"I'm sorry," Matt said, "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Chris must be scared right now about Dan," C.J. said, "I want to be there for her."

"Like she's been there for you," Matt said.

She looked at him.

"I know she was helping you the past several months," Matt said, "At first it bothered me that she kept that from me but now I'm glad she helped you."

"She and Dan didn't deserve to get caught up in this," she said.

"No they didn't," Matt said, "But they really wanted to help get you back home and Fran and Rhonda are there supporting them."

C.J. softened.

"I'm glad, she has them there."

"What about you," Matt said, "Jonathon's right, you can't go to Houston."

"I know," she said, "I don't want to bring my problems there."

"I just don't want anything to happen to you," Matt said.

"It's a little late for that."

"I think it's time to figure out what happens next," Matt said.

"Then I guess I'm going to Denver," she said, "To get my next try at a new life."

"What about your old one?"

C.J. shook her head and sat on the bed.

"It's gone," she said, "That part of me died a long time ago. There's no going back."

"I'm sorry, for what I said back there," Matt said, "I didn't mean to treat you like you weren't in the room."

"No problem," she said, "I guess I'd better get going then."

"I'm going with you," Matt said, "I've just found you and I'm not giving that up."

She looked up at him for a moment.

"You can ride with me to Denver then," C.J. said, "But I don't know what is going to happen when we get there."

* * *

Jonathon picked up his phone.

"This is Jonathon," he said, "We're getting ready to leave for Denver. Have the other agents on this case there when we arrive later on today."

"Are you driving," the man asked.

"Yes, the roads look good so there shouldn't be any delay," Jonathon said, "We'll have plenty of security."

"We'll see you then."

* * *

C.J. and Matt came to the kitchen with their suitcases. Jonathon stood there with several of his agents.

"We'd better get going, C.J.," Jonathon said, "They're expecting us later today for the briefing on what happens next."

"I'm ready," she said, looking around the room, "I'm really going to miss this place."

"So Matt, what are you going to do," Jonathon said.

"I'm going with you to Denver," Matt said, "To make sure she arrives there safely considering all that's happened."

Jonathon nodded.

"Okay, you can ride with us," Jonathon said, "Though during the drive we might contact the warden at Fed Max to find out if Marquis Duval, jr. has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI."

"Fed Max," Matt said, "That's on the way isn't it?"

"Yes, it's near Florence, Colorado," Jonathon said, "It's maximum security and that's just the place to house Duval."

"Duval," C.J. said, "What does he have to do with this?"

"The bombs in D.C. and the blast in Houston have now been officially traced back to his terrorist organization by FBI forensics," Jonathon said.

"But he and his father have been in prison for several years now and his organization was dismantled by the feds, how could they be involved" C.J. said.

"Yes that's true and that's a good question," Jonathon said, "We're hoping we'll hit Duval, jr. on a good day and he'll tell us why his explosives are being used and who's behind it."

"Good luck," Matt said, "He's a sociopathic killer. I know, I put him away with my testimony."

"That's true, but here's something else you might be interested to know," Jonathon said, "The only one that Duval, jr. was interested in talking with was you."

Both Matt and C.J. looked at him, astonished.

"What on earth could that be about," Matt asked.

* * *

Miles away, Andre picked up the phone.

"I didn't want to hear from you until you're successful and brought my quarry to me," he said, "You failed."

"It's just a setback," the man said.

"I think it's a bit more than that and there are agents crawling all over the ranch by now."

"We will try again and be successful this time."

"If you don't bring her back to me, you don't get paid," he said, "And if you fail again, you won't have to worry about that."

The man paused.

"It wil take more time to bring some more men in the country."

"That's only your problem if you make it mine," he said, "In the meantime, I have some of my own in place and they will make their move when the time is right."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

I finished this installment and hope you like it. Thanks for the comments!

* * *

"Are you sure," Matt asked.

Jonathon nodded.

"He was very specific in his demands," he said, "Duval, jr. wants to speak to you and you alone."

"Then maybe I'll pay him a visit on the way up," Matt said.

"I've got to meet with the feds before C.J. arrives and tie up some loose ends with Gerard. You and she can ride with a couple of agents if you'd like," Jonathon said, "I'll set up the visit with the prison and they can take you there."

"Thanks," Matt said, "I'm not sure what Duval has in mind but there has to be some angle he's playing."

"Probably," Jonathon said, "Once a terrorist, always a terrorist, remember that."

Matt nodded.

"Where's C.J.," Jonathon asked.

They looked around the room.

* * *

C.J. stood outside Sienna's stall in the barn rubbing her behind the ears as the horse brushed her muzzle against her neck.

"I'm really going to miss you girl," she said, "You took good care of me from the first time we met."

Thea walked into the barn and saw the two of them together.

"Hey, she's going to miss you," Thea said, "She really likes you."

C.J. turned around.

"She's a great mare," she said, "She knows what you're thinking before you ask."

"She was Jonathon's favorite horse to ride when he returned to ranching for a brief spell after coming back from Boston," Thea said, "She was Sangria's most spirited daughter but she took good care of my son."

"I really grew to love this place," C.J. said, "Part of me doesn't want to leave."

"That part of you can always come back and stay as long as you want," Thea said, "It would mean a lot to me. You've become the daughter I never had."

"You've been really good to me," C.J. said, "I know I didn't make that very easy."

Thea shrugged.

"You need to give yourself a break, C.J.," she said, "And stop being so hard on yourself. You need to let Matt and Jonathon help you."

"I don't know if I can," she said, "When I get to Denver, everything could change again. I just saw Houston for the first time in months and now I might have to leave again."

Thea nodded.

"A very difficult situation and one that's not your fault," she said, "Maybe they can find an alternative."

C.J. shook her head.

"I don't think it works that way," she said, "If I am relocated, I'll have to cut off my ties to everyone all over again. If I try to hold on to what I want, I don't think I'll ever be able to let it go and that will just get the people around me killed."

"That makes it hard to let people in, doesn't it?"

C.J. didn't answer. They heard footsteps and saw Jonathon and Matt enter the barn.

"It's time to go, C.J.," Jonathon said, and they all walked outside to where several sedans were parked.

C.J. turned to say goodbye to Thea and the older woman hugged her tightly.

"You take care of yourself," she said, "And let others help you."

Matt went to shake Thea's hand and she embraced him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Take care of her," Thea said, "And don't let her go."

"I won't," he said, hugging her back.

C.J. and Matt took their suitcases and walked to one of the sedans where two agents were waiting as Jonathon gave them instructions.

"Matt, I called SuperMax and they're expecting you in about two hours," Jonathon said, "They'll have Duval ready to talk to you."

Matt nodded and everyone got in their vehicles to leave the ranch. As one of the agents drove them away from the house, C.J. took a last long look at it, and Thea standing behind waving goodbye.

The agent turned onto the main road.

"I turned the heater on," he said, "So you should be comfortable. I'm Al and my partner's, Bryant. We should be at the prison in a couple of hours barring more bad weather."

C.J. leaned back against the leather seat.

"What do you think Duval's going to tell you," she said.

"I have no idea," Matt said, "I guess I'll find out when I meet with him."

"Be careful, Houston," she said, "Don't forget who he is."

* * *

"So how long will he be going away for this time," Matt asked.

Lt. Vince Novelli sat in the seat across the aisle from Matt and C.J. on the Lear jet that flew them all back from some island in the tropics to Texas, where they would refuel for the trip back to Los Angeles. Both of them cracked open some beer and peanuts from the small galley.

"Oh they're both going away for life," Novelli said, eating some peanuts, "Both the father and the son."

"That's good Vince, because I don't think I can run around chasing after either one of them again," Matt said.

"They sure kept it all in the family," Vince said, "Hopefully, we'll be able to use that to break up this organization once and for all."

"I owe you a lot Vince," Matt said, "Thanks for trusting me on this one."

Vince shrugged.

"I know you'd never bow to a thug like Duval for any price," he said, "except one."

Matt looked at his beer.

"They knew that about me," he said, "That's how they got to me."

"Matt, we all have points where we're vulnerable," Novelli said, "That's what makes us human."

C.J. stirred from her seat where she slept.

"She really was exhausted," Novelli said, "It's been a long couple of days."

"Yeah, it'll be good to get back home and have things be back to normal again," Matt said.

* * *

Matt sat in the car on its way to the nation's toughest federal prison, which had been built in response to security problems at other maximum security facilities in the federal penal system. Far from opposing the construction of the large prison, the residents of the surrounding towns welcomed the influx of jobs that it brought to the region.

"You two doing okay back there," Al said, "We can stop and get some food when we hit Canon City or Florence though there's not much at either."

"I'm fine," Matt said, "How about you, C.J.?"

She shrugged.

"I'm not hungry."

"Okay, we'll go straight to SuperMax then," Al said, "Should be there in about an hour."

"Fine," Matt said.

* * *

Jonathon sat in the boardroom with Chad, who supervised the Denver office and some of his agents.

"So when is the witness scheduled to arrive," Chad said.

"Later this afternoon," Jonathon said, "The man she's with, Matt Houston, is going to be talking with Marquis Duval, Jr. at the federal lockup in Florence."

"When was that authorized?"

"Duval wouldn't talk to anyone else," Jonathon said, "And his signature's all over those explosives in D.C. and Houston."

"But it's dangerous, exposing your witness that way."

Jonathon nodded.

"I left them with two of your best agents," he said, "Certainly you trust your own men."

"Yes, but after the attempt at the ranch, we can't afford any more serious problems."

"If the federal prosecutors could convene a grand jury, that would certainly help," Jonathon said.

"Maybe," Chad said, "But then depending on the situation, you're still talking about potentially permanent relocation. Besides, we're nowhere near the grand jury stage."

"The prosecutors opened an inquiry into the murder of Semour Piser," Jonathon said.

"Nobody knows who killed Piser," Chad said, "At least nobody who's talking."

"There's still the kidnapping of Ms Parsons and unlawful imprisonment," Jonathon said.

"All we have is her testimony," Chad said, "And she hasn't exactly been saying much."

"I'm working on that," Jonathon said.

* * *

Matt and C.J. looked out at the massive prison walls in the nation's most secure prison, as the car pulled into the road leading to the facility. After a guard checked them in and searched the vehicle with a dog, they drove into the parking area.

The four of them went through the various stations to be rigorously processed as they moved closer into the interior of the prison.

A man met them and led three of them into a waiting area while directing Matt to follow him to the visiting area.

The visiting area consisted of separate enclosures for the inmates who were secured, the only contact with those who visited them was through a glass window. Matt sat down and waited for Duval.

Finally the door opened on the other side of the glass and guards led Duval into the room. He was thinner than Matt remembered, his once olive skin now ashen from lack of contact with the outside world.

"Mr. Houston," Duval said, "You're on time."

"You've got an hour to tell me why you brought me here," Matt said.

Duval smiled.

"Right to the point," he said, "That's what I like about you. It's about the only admirable trait that you possess."

"What is it Duval," Matt said.

"Patience, Mr. Houston," Duval said, "You have to realize that while I'm in this lovely establishment, I'm only allowed out of my cell about one hour a day. I have to take my enjoyment where I can get it."

"Do you know who planted those explosives?"

"What makes you think I would know," Duval said.

"Forensics traced them back to your terrorist group," Matt said.

"We weren't terrorists," Duval said, "We were fighting for our freedom."

"Yeah, okay well I'm not here to discuss that," Matt said, "Was it your men who planted these bombs?"

"You know that everyone in my organization is either dead or doing time including my dear father, who's dying in prison even as we sit here talking."

"So did you?"

Duval looked back at him.

"No, as bad as you think my father and I are, Houston, it was done by someone much worse."

* * *

C.J. sat in the waiting room with the two agents. Al read a magazine while Bryant stared at the ceiling. She just looked at the walls, remembering her own prison so she closed her eyes.

"Miss, here's some food for you."

C.J. looked up from the bed she lay on and saw a young woman dressed in black and wearing her long ebony hair in a French braid bringing a tray into her room.

"I'm not hungry," she said.

"You haven't eaten in two days," the woman said, "Surely the food cannot be bad?"

C.J. pulled herself up into a sitting position, feeling dizzy and sore. She had slept for hours and had woken up without feeling rested.

"There's nothing wrong with it," she said, rubbing her head, "I just don't feel like eating."

"I'll leave it for you in case you change your mind then," the woman said putting it down.

C.J. nodded, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling them to her chest. The woman looked at her a moment and started to leave.

"Wait, what's your name?"

The woman turned around to look at her.

"Elena."

"I'm C.J.," she said, "How old are you, Elena?"

"I'll be 18 soon," she said, "But I've been doing housekeeping and kitchen work since I was eight. Even when I was back home with my family."

"Where's home?"

"A village in Ecuador," Elena said. "I hope to go back there someday but I don't have enough money."

"Home," C.J. said, "Sounds so far away right now."

Elena frowned.

"Aren't you happy here with the senor?"

C.J. looked at the young woman who waited for an answer. She thought one up.

"Yes…I am very happy," she said.

C.J. opened her eyes in the prison's waiting room and didn't close them again.

* * *

Matt leaned back in his chair, as Duval watched him.

"Okay, so you know who's behind what's been going on," he said.

"Possibly I do know," Duval said, "But you can't handle the man responsible. My own father tried and he couldn't control him."

"Who couldn't he control?"

"My father had many women besides my mother, his wife. A woman in every country in Latin America. Sometimes more than one."

"And what does this have to do with anything," Matt said.

"Patience again," Duval said, "My father wasn't careful and one of those women, at least one of them got pregnant and had a son."

"And what happened with this son," Matt said, "Did he pay the mother off and send both of them on their way while he went back to his wife?"

"Nothing so final," Duval said, "No, he did financially support his progeny but he couldn't bear to turn his back on his own flesh and blood so he made discreet visits from time to time."

"And what happened with this son?"

"His mother was a prostitute and died from some venereal disease so the boy lived with assorted relatives of hers during his childhood," Duval said, "All unsavory characters."

"But he grew up."

Duval nodded.

"Yes, he was educated by my father's money at all the best schools. Prep school, then university then at at one of your Ivy League schools."

"So when did he become a chip off the old block," Matt said.

"My father and I are honorable men," Duval said, "This one, is not cut out of that mold."

"Honorable? Since when is terrorism and killing innocent people honorable?"

"You don't understand Mr. Houston," Duval said, "He does things that my father and I wouldn't ever do."

"Like what," Matt said, "What line could he possibly cross that you two wouldn't?"

Duval shifted in his seat.

"He buys and sells human beings."

* * *

Jonathon looked at Chad who was conferring with another agent.

His phone rang again.

"Hi, this is Jonathon."

"It's Roy Houston. What the hell is going on?"

"Nice to hear from you too," Jonathon said, "Right now I'm in the Denver office waiting for two agents to arrive with C.J. and your nephew."

"I heard about the incident at your mother's ranch," Roy said, "A man got shot and C.J. was nearly kidnapped."

"Yes, a ranch hand, but we got him to a hospital and he's going to be just fine."

"What about Matt and C.J.?"

"They're fine," Jonathon said, "and as I said, on their way here for the briefing on how this case will be handled next."

"What will happen next," Roy said.

"We don't know yet," Jonathon said, "That's what the briefing's going to be about."

"This thing has been handled badly from the beginning," Roy said.

"I can't argue with what's happened lately," Jonathon said, "But we did what we had to do. There was no other way."

"Your record needs to improve."

"Listen, my men are waiting for me to get back to them," Jonathon said, "What's going on with Scott? Is he still in Houston?"

"Yes, he's in the office right now," Roy said, "They've cordoned the garage but the main building's still standing and open for business again."

"Keep an eye on him for me," Jonathon said, "The FBI might be sending some agents out later to question him again."

"I'll do my best," Roy said before hanging up.

Jonathon put his phone away and flipped through a folder on his desk, wondering what his next directive would be and suddenly not wanting to know.

* * *

"What do you mean," Matt said, "He's a human trafficker?"

"He didn't start out that way," Duval said, "But that's where he's ended up."

"What kind of trafficking?"

" Domestic labor, young soldiers, miners and prostitution around the world," Duval said, "Not that he's given up the drug smuggling trade but it's a side line now."

"Why are you telling me this," Matt asked.

Duval paused for a moment.

"Because he's proven to be an embarrassment to my family's honor," Duval said, "I would have killed him years ago if my father had let me."

"Why, because he wasn't a better terrorist?"

"No, because despite everything my father provided for him, he still disgraced my family," Duval said, "Not long after getting his masters degree in business at one of the most expensive and prestigious universities in your country, he got into some unfortunate trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"He tried to expand his drug trade and recruited the wrong people, inexperienced college students, to help him, including one who betrayed him. That man stole from him and rather than cut his losses, he kidnapped some of this man's friends to take in trade for what was taken from him."

"What do you mean, took in trade?"

"They were women," he said, "What do you think I mean?"

Matt struggled with his next questions.

"So what happened with these women," he asked.

"Fortunately for them, not much because he was stopped. One of them had agreed to go with him if he would release the others which of course he would never do."

"So what happened," Matt said, "Daddy rode in to save the day?"

"My father sent a team of his best men to stop him and to clean up his mess," Duval said, "So it wouldn't ruin his own businesses."

"And what happened to these students?"

"They were part of that mess that needed to be cleaned up."

"My God," Matt said.

"Don't worry," Duval said, "They got away and as it turned out never called the police."

"Where, when did this happen?"

"On the East Coast about a decade ago," Duval said, "He was exiled for a while soon after they cleaned up his mess but when both of us were sent to prison, my father gave him access to everything that was his and mine. There was no one else left. "

"So that's why the explosives traced back to your organization even after it had been disbanded."

Duval nodded.

"What a disgrace my father's bastard son is," he said, "He's very powerful now. He's built up his own organization and it's got reach all over the world. He's ruined the family name by dealing in the human trade."

"Who is he and how I can find him?"

"His name is Andrico Duval and he's everywhere," Duval said, " If you go after him, he'll find you first and you won't live long enough to tell anyone about it."

* * *

C.J. sat in the waiting room when Matt returned. She noticed that he looked angry, his fists clenched at his sides.

"What happened," she said, "Did he tell you anything?"

"He told me everything."

"What do you mean," she asked.

"He told me who was responsible for the bombings," Matt said.

C.J. looked away but not before he caught the expression on her face.

"You know, don't you," Matt said, "You know what I'm talking about."

"I don't know anything except I want to get out of here," she said.

The two agents put down their magazines.

"We'd better get a move on," Al said, "If we want to be in Denver before sunset."

They left the prison building and walked back to the car.

"So what did he say?"

Matt turned to look at C.J.

"He said it was Marquis Duval, sr.'s son who rigged the explosives."

"His son," C.J. said, "What are you talking about?"

"Marquis had a son, with another woman," Matt said, "His name's Andrico Duval."

C.J.'s face grew ashen and she put her hands in her pockets.

"You don't look surprised with the name," Matt said, "But you do look scared."

"I'm not…going to get into this with you, right here."

The agents looked at the two of them.

"Are you two okay," Al asked.

Both of them looked at Al and Bryant and after looking at each other, nodded. They all got into the car and Bryant drove them away from the prison.

* * *

"Look Jonathon, I know you thought you did what was right," Chad said, "But we're in a bad situation here."

"Don't you think I'm aware of that?"

"The witness's last position was compromised and she was nearly killed," Chad said, "We've got to start from scratch if we want to prevent a similar situation from happening again."

"We're researching potential relocation sites back in D.C."

"What about for the meantime?"

"She might have to stay in a safe house in Denver," Jonathon said, "She won't be able to leave it but she'll be safe."

"That's one option," Chad said, "But it might not be enough. It's not just the outside that we have to look to see what's coming."

Jonathon sighed.

"Gerard was an aberration on an otherwise very fine department."

"You didn't see him coming. No one did," Chad said, "And I don't want to have to wait to see other surprises lurk inside the Witness Protection program."

* * *

Matt looked over at C.J. who looked out the window at the mountains racing by. He saw signs which announced that they were approaching Denver's city limits.

"C.J., I didn't mean to come on so strong back there," he said, "But if Duval had anything..."

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, still looking out the window, "It won't change anything."

"Okay, would you like to talk about something else?"

She turned her head around to look at him.

"You look good," she said, "You look better than you did when you left six months ago."

"I had a lot of time to do some thinking when I was gone," he said, "I met some pretty interesting people, had some adventures but I am glad to be back home."

She smiled.

"Never a dull moment in your life."

"I really missed you," Matt said, "I really loved Elizabeth a lot but she's right, it never would have worked out for us."

"I know she loved you," C.J. said, "She just didn't want to lose herself in you."

"I think I understand that now better than I did when she left me at the altar."

"That must have hurt," she said.

"It would have hurt a lot more later on," he said.

She nodded.

"But that doesn't make it any easier," she said.

"No it didn't," he said, "But I've had time to move on."

"So now that you've moved on, what's next?"

Matt paused a moment.

"I'm not sure," he said, "I haven't had much time to think about it since I've been back."

"I'm sorry about that," C.J. said.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about," he said, "None of that matters until we figure out how to get you your life back."

She smiled but her eyes didn't.

"I don't know who I'm going to be next week," she said, "I don't know what my future is or if I even have one. I can't live past each day."

The car slowed down. Both C.J. and Matt looked out the window and saw a car parked by the side of the highway ahead, facing in the opposite direction.

"Is it broken down," Matt asked.

C.J. didn't say a word but kept looking at the car that was becoming closer as they moved towards it.

"Are you stopping," Matt asked Al.

"We could call it in," Al said.

Bryant turned and looked at Al, and C.J. saw him pull a flash of silver out of his jacket pocket before Al did.

"What the..." Al said before a popping sound filled the confines of the car.

Matt and C.J. looked at each other, as Al fell to the side, a crimson stain spreading across his shirt.

Bryant jammed on the brakes.

Matt reached for the car handle. Bryant spun around, gun drawn.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Mr. Houston," Bryant said. "Now sit back, we are going to go on a little ride."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Hi, here's my latest installment. Thanks so much for the comments and input!

* * *

Bryant drove further down the highway, closer to Denver, with Matt and C.J. sitting in the backseat.

C.J. sat very still, resignation on her face while Matt sized up Bryant. He looked in the rear view mirror and saw the car that had been parked by the side of the road following them.

"Just a little bit further and then this journey will be over for you, Mr. Houston."

"What about her," he asked.

"She's going back to my boss and he'll do with her what he wishes," Bryant said, "She made him very angry when she escaped."

"So how much does he pay you to blow up innocent people and kill anyone who gets in his way?"

Bryant adjusted the rear view mirror.

"Enough to retire comfortably at least two times over in this life," he said.

"How many federal employees did your boss buy to work for him?"

"At least two," Bryant said, "It's just up the road a bit."

Bryant turned off the highway onto a narrower dirt road, leading off into a grove of trees.

"Why don't you let him go and just take me," C.J. said.

Matt looked at her and but she kept her eyes on Bryant.

"He left orders that there would be no witnesses this time," Bryant said, "That includes your boyfriend."

The car came to a stop, parked just a short distance from the other car. Another man armed with a gun stood waiting for them and Bryant got out of the car to meet him.

Both C.J. and Matt sat in the car as Bryant opened the door and the other man pulled Al's limp body out of the car and dumped it on the ground.

"Get out of the car," Bryant said, pointing the gun at both of them.

"We should just kill the guy now and leave him with the dead agent in the ravine over there," the other man said, "Our boss only wants the woman alive."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other.

"All right, I'll do it," Bryant said, "You watch the woman."

"Don't you want her to watch him die," the man asked.

"That will make it better," Bryant said, "The boss will like that."

The two men grabbed them and at gunpoint, pulled them down the dirt road to its end where there was a small ravine. The man holding C.J. stopped while Bryant dragged Matt closer to the ravine.

"Just a shot in the head, a push into the ravine and we'll be out of here," the man said.

C.J. looked at him and then suddenly pulled the handgun out of her pocket and swung it at the man's head. It struck his temple and knocked him off his feet to the ground. She then ran where Bryant was standing with Matt, struggling to hold onto him.

"Anything you want to say before you die," Bryant said, pointing the gun at Matt's head and pressing his finger on the trigger.

Matt looked past him and saw C.J. approaching. His eyes plead with her to run away from him and escape. He tried to pull away from Bryant again.

Suddenly, a shot rang out and brushed past him striking Bryant in the head. Matt looked again and saw C.J. pointing the gun at the both of them, her aim unwavering and her eyes fixed.

"I'm not ready to die," Matt said, quietly as Bryant fell on the ground at his feet, his eyes looking back up at him in frozen shock. He reached down to get Bryant's car keys.

"We have to leave," C.J. said, running to him. Matt looked once more at the dead agent and they ran back to the car. When they were almost there, they heard the other man's footsteps behind them. C.J. ran to the driver's side. Matt opened the passenger door after stepping over Al's body and he gave her the keys.

The engine roared as she started it and she put the car into reverse. The gears squealed as they pulled away while the other man pulled his gun out and started shooting at them. They ducked low in their seats while C.J. then put the car in forward and tore down the dirt road back onto the highway.

"Is he following us," she asked.

Matt shook his head.

"Not yet anyway," he said, "Denver's not too far away."

"I'm not going back to the feds," C.J. said, "There's nothing they can do and I've just killed one of their agents."

"Who tried to kill me," Matt said, "You did what you had to do."

"I don't trust them to know the difference," C.J. said, "I don't know who's working for the government and who's working for him."

"They've had a poor batting average at keeping anyone safe," Matt said, "And there's probably more bad agents where they came from."

"He's got a lot of money," C.J. said, "He can buy anyone, anywhere to get what he wants."

"Turn off at the next exit," Matt said, "We'll go find a place where we can sit and think about what to do next."

C.J. looked at him and nodded.

"We might need to disable the GPS on this car," Matt said, "There's probably trying to track it down right now."

"Okay," she said, "It's starting to snow again,"

Matt looked at the snowflakes intermixed with rain falling on the wind shield.

"I know a couple places in town," he said.

"We should at least tell Jonathon that we're okay," C.J. said.

Matt nodded.

* * *

Jonathon sat in the office with Chad waiting for the agents to arrive with Matt and C.J. but no one came, not even a phone call that they had been delayed.

"Heard anything," Jonathon said, after Chad got off the phone.

"Nothing, they left the prison hours ago," Chad said, "We're going to activate the GPS device and look for the car."

"Okay," Jonathon said, "And bring Denver PD in the loop on this so they can get an APB out."

Chad looked at Jonathon, his face grave.

"I hope they find them safe some place."

Jonathon sighed.

"I hope they find them at all," he said, "How well did you know your agents again?"

* * *

C.J. followed the directions that Matt gave her and drove off the highway into a main street and then after a mile or so, onto a side street. Rain and snow falling on the windshield, blocked her view so she flipped on the wipers. He pointed out a narrow road and she turned the car down it and saw a main building surrounded by small cabins with a play area for children in the middle of it. A small grove of trees surrounded the site.

"Didn't we just stay in a cabin," she said.

"I know the guy who owns this place," Matt said, "He used to go fishing with my father."

C.J. parked the car in a roofed shelter and they both got out of the car. She opened the trunk so they could get their suitcases while Matt went into the office to talk to his friend. A moment later, he came out with a key and they headed to the right cabin.

Matt opened the door and flipped the light switch. The rooms were small, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a small living room and a kitchen that looked as if would better fit a boat than a dwelling.

"Are you hungry," Matt asked her.

She nodded.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she said.

"The owner said there's a little store down at the end of the road," Matt said, "Why don't you stay here and I'll be back with some food?"

"I'll start a fire," she said, "And heat this place up a little."

"Will you be okay until I return," he said.

"I'll be fine."

He left for the market and she went to find some wood to put in the fireplace.

* * *

C.J. sat in her apartment, trying to study for finals. She knew that she had to work extra hard just to pass this session since she had missed a week of classes with the flu. Now Julia had caught it and was sleeping in her bedroom. C.J. worried about her friend, who appeared frailer each day since the night of the fire.

She tried to concentrate on her flash cards with legal terms on it to memorize from her class in torts but her mind wandered.

Her doorbell rang. She went to it and looked through the peep hole and saw it was Jonathon. She let him in.

"Hi, I tried to call but your phone was busy," he said.

"I took off the hook," she said, "I have to some serious studying done this weekend."

"You haven't been at work," Jonathon said, "Studying?"

She sat back down on the couch with her flashcards and he sat in a chair.

"I had the flu," she said, "Now Julia has it but she seems much sicker than I was."

"How you feeling now," Jonathon asked.

"Better," she said, "How've you been doing?"

"Busy working," Jonathon said, "I might be quitting the bartending gig when summer comes. I've decided to go back home."

"To Colorado," she said, "What about all your plans here?"

"I'm not sure what I want to do now," Jonathon said, "My mom is short some ranch hands and she just hired a new one who didn't have much experience so I thought I'd spend the summer helping her out."

"That's good," she said, "I was thinking of leaving Boston myself and going back to Texas."

"I thought you were going to clerk over the summer."

She shrugged.

"I don't know what I'm going to do either," she said, "I'm behind in my classes and somehow it doesn't seem the right path for me anymore."

"C.J., you can't let what happened run your whole life and take you away from what you want."

"But isn't that what you're doing?"

* * *

Jonathon stayed in his office, making phone calls to try to determine why Matt, C.J. and two of Chad's best agents were missing. Sometimes he thought he spent his entire life on the phone, taking care of business or addressing one crisis or another. He missed his time out in the field.

He nearly took a sip of lukewarm coffee when the phone rang again.

"Hello," he said.

"Jonathon, it's Matt."

Jonathon nearly dropped his coffee.

"Matt, where the hell are you," he said, "I've got law enforcement looking all over the state for you and C.J."

"We're both fine, but two of your agents are dead. One of them forgot to tell you about a moonlighting stint during his background check."

Jonathon's stomach fell.

"One of them was bad?"

"After we let the prison, he changed the itinerary and decided he wanted to shorten the passenger list."

"How'd you get away?"

"Shot and killed the agent, but the other hit man got away," Matt said.

"You killed a federal agent," Jonathon said.

"I just told you he was working for someone else who probably paid him a hell of a lot more money than Uncle Sam did," Matt said, "A guy named Andrico Duval, does that ring a bell?"

"Who told you that?"

"His half-brother at SuperMax," Matt said, "It turns out they had a falling out over Andrico's career choice."

Jonathon was silent on the other end.

"It makes sense that another relative would be involved, since the explosives did trace back to the Duval family," he said.

"Duval, Jr. said this guy's the black sheep of his terrorist family and I think he's right about him being the worst of the bunch."

"We'll notify all the agencies so they can run a check on this guy," Jonathon said, "I hope you're wrong."

"I don't think so," Matt said, "I have a feeling C.J. would agree with me about that."

"So when are you coming in," Jonathon asked.

"We're not," Matt said, "And I'll be ending this call before you can trace it. C.J.'s nearly been kidnapped twice in the last 48 hours because your agency employs people working for this Duval guy. I think it's time you ferret them out because they've already compromised your entire division."

"You can't say that about two bad apples," Jonathon said, "We can keep C.J. safe until she has to testify."

"Do you really believe that," Matt said, "Not that it matters because I'm not taking that chance."

Jonathon paused.

"Where will you be going, or won't you tell me?"

"Maybe we'll send you a postcard."

Matt clicked his phone off and entered the market.

* * *

C.J. sat on the couch, drying her hair with a towel after her shower. The warmth of the room felt almost as good as the shower had felt on her skin after she washed off two days worth of grime. She dressed in some jeans and a blouse, wearing socks on her feet and came back to a more comfortable living room.

The flames danced in the fireplace and lit up the simple cabin with a warm glow. She sat back and watched them.

She replayed the vision of what had just happened in her head. How she had pulled out Jed's gun and shot Bryant without even thinking of it. She had seen the look of surprise in Matt's eyes when he turned around and saw her holding the gun. He had never met that side of her, not surprising because he had never seen it. She looked at the jagged map of lines on her hands, knowing that he had not seen that part of her either.

She used those hands to brush her hair out before her curls could snarl into a pony tail. When she had been held captive, she had brushed her hair every morning after she woke up, one of her daily rituals the only part of each day she could control. Running the hair brush over her scalp and through to the ends of her hair soothed her in a world where nothing else did. It brought back memories of how her mother had brushed her hair every morning and every night before she had died when C.J. was a young girl.

Her hair had grown since that night she had cut it shorter, to approaching its previous length. She had cut it for two reasons, to disguise who she'd been and to forget where she had come from. But shooting that man today who had turned from protector to assassin in a blink of an eye reminded her of who she was just as quickly.

The brush had been a gift from Elena, the girl who brought her meals to her but it had taken a while to ask her for her name. She had arrived in her cell one morning and gave it to her. C.J. had been lying on the bed with tears dried on her face and her clothes drenched in sweat.

"Miss, here's something for you," Elena said, placing the brush on a small table with her morning meal.

C.J. gingerly sat up and saw the hair brush, then looked at Elena.

"It's beautiful, but I don't want anything from him," she said.

Elena shook her head.

"Oh no, it's from me, not the senor." she said, "You look sad and you don't eat anything and I know when I was back home, my mama used to brush my hair and it made me feel better."

Despite herself, C.J. smiled at the young girl.

"My mother used to do the same thing when I was little," she said, "Thank you for the gift."

"De nada," Elena said, "I get homesick here too sometimes."

* * *

C.J. looked at the fire place again. Elena had been kind to her, in a world of cruelty. She closed her eyes and sat back, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Suddenly, she heard someone unlocking the door and got on her feet. The door opened and in walked Matt with grocery bags.

"Sorry it took so long," he said, walking into the room and looking around, "It's much warmer in here."

"There was plenty of wood to start a fire," she said, picking up one of the bags as they walked into the tiny kitchen.

He pulled out some cans.

"I think it's canned chili," Matt said, with a shrug, "At least it was on sale."

C.J. pulled out some more cans. Fruit salad, green beans and some …

"I think those are things called water chestnuts," Matt said.

"Oh Houston, those are actually quite good," she said, "I'll take them."

"I won't argue with that," he said, "I'll make the chili. You handle the stuff that's good for you."

She smiled, and reached for the can opener.

"I called Jonathon and told him what happened," Matt said, pouring the chili into a saucepan.

"What did he say?"

"You were right. He had problems accepting that the man you killed was a bad federal agent."

"That's not surprising," C.J. said, "He doesn't believe that anyone who worked in his profession could be as bad as the criminals they chase."

"Most of the time he's right," Matt said, "But this isn't most of the time."

* * *

Chad walked into the office.

"So what do you want to do," he said, "The GPS search came up empty."

"Did you run the APB," Jonathon asked.

"Yes, with DPD and we put it out on the wire."

"Did we find the missing agents?"

"Not yet," Chad said, "We've got the FBI and the state patrol combing the highway for anything suspicious."

"I'm not sure we'll find them," Jonathon said, "At least one of them was crooked and he's dead. The other one's dead as well. And apparently, there's another hit man who's unaccounted for running around the state."

"We did put out the search on an Andrico Duval and we're waiting to see what comes back," Chad said, "It would be helpful if we had prints."

"I'm not sure this guy's ever been arrested anywhere," Jonathon said, "He wasn't actually involved with the other Duvals when they were most active."

"Something might turn up," Chad said, "And the Office of Professional Integrity is launching an administrative investigation into why we had at least two bad apples in the Marshal's office."

Jonathon laughed mirthlessly.

"I guess that was coming," he said, "They know how to get in touch with me if they need to talk."

* * *

C.J. and Matt ate his canned chili and her canned vegetables, topped off with a mixed fruit salad. He showered and she went back to the living room to sit on the couch in front of the fire. Suddenly, she felt cold despite the warmth in the room and very tired.

Matt walked out with damp hair and a pair of sweats and a university sweat shirt. He carried some blankets.

"I found these in the closet," he said, handing her one which she wrapped around herself.

"I guess I'm really tired," she said, "It's been a long day."

"I think it's been longer than that," Matt said, sitting nearby.

She curled up on the couch, pulling the blanket over her.

"I have something for you," he said, reaching for something he had brought from his suitcase. He handed it to C.J.

"Rhonda found it hidden away in my dad's cabin," Matt said, "I wanted to give it back to you."

She handled the box, looking at it.

"I remember this," she said, "I made it when I was in college."

"I read some of the letters," Matt said, "I thought it might help me find out where you were and what happened to you."

She opened the box, pulling some of its contents out.

"It doesn't matter," she said, "It's all in the past anyway."

"C.J., why did you nearly drop out of law school after your first year?"

She looked up at him, startled.

"You read about that," she said, "That was ages ago. As you can see, I changed my mind."

"Yeah you did," he said, "But you were so determined to be a lawyer the entire time I've known you. It was the first time I heard you express doubt, let alone think about quitting."

"It was a very difficult first year," she said, "Julia got sick at the end of it."

Matt nodded.

"Did something else happen," he said, "Julie also mentioned a man named Andre in her letter. Did he have anything to do with it?"

"Why do you think that," she said, wrapping her blanket closer around her, "That was a long time ago."

Matt paused.

"Because I care about you," he said, "And I want to help you."

She looked at him then shook her head.

"You can't help me," she said, "All you can do is get hurt or worse."

"Why don't you let that be my decision?"

"Because I don't want anything to happen to you," C.J. said, "Today was bad enough and you shouldn't have to lose your life over something that begun years ago."

"I think I already know some of it," Matt said.

"What do you mean you know," C.J. said, sitting up on the couch, "Who told you?"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26--Here's the latest installment, hope you enjoy it! Thanks for the feedback!

* * *

Matt and C.J. looked at each other, stood up and approached the door.

"Who is it," Matt asked.

"Oh it's Bill, just checking to see if you're all right," the man said.

Matt looked through the peephole and saw his father's old friend standing there. He opened the door.

"Hi, I just thought I'd check in on you before I turn in," Bill said, "It's been ages since I've seen you out here fishing with your daddy and his brother."

"Yeah, We had a lot of fun on those trips," Matt said, "You and my daddy used to tell some pretty good fish tales as I recall."

Bill laughed.

"Yeah, your father really spoke a lot about you," he said, "He was really proud of you up to the last time I saw him."

"He passed on a while back," Matt said.

Bill nodded and looked at C.J.

"And she's your…"

"Friend," Matt said, "C.J. Parsons. She works with me."

C.J. reached out her hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

"Ah yes, your father used to talk about her too. How she kept you out of trouble."

"Actually I think it was the other way around," Matt said.

* * *

The fishing hole had been his secret for as long as he remembered. Ever since his daddy had first brought him to it as a young boy, not long after the bad men had taken him away. After his father had gotten him back from his kidnappers, he had spent most of his time in his room for days refusing to come out. Until one day, his father took him out to the fishing spot for the first time in a quiet area along the river running through the ranch.

They came to fish there together when his father wasn't too busy running an oil conglomerate. They never caught much, but they always had a great time, lying back on the banks of the river and talking about everything and nothing. It allowed Matt an opportunity to see a man he rarely saw, almost as if it were a part of his father which couldn't cross the boundaries outside of the river bank into the rest of the world.

So Matt was surprised when he arrived one day with his fishing pole and bait and saw her sitting there, fishing in his spot. She looked about his age, slender with dark hair and wearing jeans and a striped shirt with the sleeves rolled back to her elbows.

He proceeded cautiously but stepped on a branch, listening to it crackle beneath his feet. A head spun around and he saw her face.

"Hey, aren't you in my class at school," he said.

She stood up, brushed her jeans off and put her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, so what," she said, "I'm never going back there anyway."

"You have to, that's the rules," Matt said, "At least I think so."

"Besides, I'm pretty sure I'm suspended anyway," she said, "On account of defending myself in a social system heavily weighed against newcomers."

"A what," Matt said, confused then he nodded, "Oh yeah, you punched Joey's lights out during lunch. First day at school too."

"He called me an orphan that nobody wanted," she said, "No one's going to say that about me and walk away."

"Well are you," Matt asked.

She shook her head.

"My parents are dead, but I'm living on the ranch yonder with my uncle at least until I can get out of here and go to college."

Matt remembered hearing his father tell him that the rancher next to them had taken in a young girl who had no parents, a relative he hadn't even known he had until a lawyer from another state contacted him to notify him of his sister's death.

"That makes sense," he said, "I'm sorry you lost your parents."

She shrugged.

"Life's full of tough times, but without them, how do you know what's good?"

Matt thought about that and nodded, slowly.

"By the way, what's your name anyway," she said, "I think I got sent to the office before they did introductions."

"Matt, Matt Houston," he said, extending his hand.

She reached out to shake it.

"I'm…"

"C.J. Parsons," he said, "Your name's all over the school."

"Oh…well I've been grounded to the ranch for a while," she said, "I just thought I'd take some time off from repairing some fence and check out the fishing. See if it's as good as back home."

"Oh I've caught some huge fish," Matt said, and put his hands apart, "About this long."

C.J. laughed.

"We've got fish stories back where I came from too," she said, "But it's really nice by the river."

She sat down on the bank and he sat down next to her.

"So when you going back to school?"

She shrugged.

"I guess I'm out for a week."

"It's not really that bad when you get used to it…"

* * *

"Well, your father was mighty fond of both of you," Bill said, "Anyway I thought I'd make sure both of you were okay with the accommodations."

"They're really nice, thank you," C.J. said.

"I owe your father a lot," Bill said, "He was there for me during some pretty rough times."

"You helped him a time or two," Matt said.

The man's face grew serious.

"They're out looking for you, the police," he said, "It was on the television just a while ago."

Matt looked at C.J.

"We didn't do anything wrong," Matt said, "There's some really bad men involved."

"No need to explain it to me," Bill said, "I told you to give you a heads up and that if need be, I'll back you."

"Thank you," Matt said.

Bill nodded and then left, closing the door behind him.

"So much for being able to lie low for a few minutes," Matt said, "But I think we're safer here until morning."

C.J. sat back down on the couch.

"You're right, I should have said something about what happened in Boston."

Matt looked at her.

"I didn't say you should have done something," he said, "I just figured that something else had happened to make you think about quitting Harvard."

"You're right," she said, "It all began with Scott's decision to seek outside employment."

"He didn't really need the money," Matt said, "He comes from some old money."

"I don't think he ever thought he had enough money to do the things he wanted to do, to buy what he wanted," C.J. said, "I worked to supplement my aid which is why I took the job at Regency's but I didn't think beyond paying bills."

"What work did Scott seek?"

"He said he was doing deliveries for a business man, an importer," C.J. said, "Of course that definition is subject to different interpretations."

Matt nodded.

"I just had that discussion this past week with someone else about a man who I think is the same one."

"Andre, you mean?"

"I think this guy's name was Rico," Matt said, "His name turned up when I interviewed some of the women who were caught up in the Bannon County ring."

"They could be the same person," C.J. said, "I encountered Andre when I was working one night and got a phone call from Julia to pick her up because she and Scott had a disagreement."

"And was there a disagreement?"

"No," C.J. said, "I asked a guy from work to pick up Julia and drive us both home only when we arrived at the place, Julia was alone with some strange men and Scott was nowhere to be found."

"Jonathon, right," Matt said.

"Yeah, how did you know," C.J. said, "Oh the letters, that's how. Anyway, Scott had gone off purportedly to retrieve some property he had which belonged to them but he hadn't returned. He never did return actually."

"So what happened," Matt asked.

"Jonathon and I had to stay with Andre as collateral while Julia and another man went to get Scott."

"Did Scott ever turn up?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No he didn't," she said, "And things got a lot worse when it became clear that he wasn't coming back."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

She paused.

"These were powerful men, Houston and the men who came to take Andre away were just as powerful," she said, "They threatened to harm our families if we told. They threatened to harm you."

"How did they know about me?"

"They found a letter I had written to you in my jacket pocket," she said, "But I guess they were still worried, because they left us there in the fire."

"They set the place on fire?"

"Yes, we were able to get out, but just barely."

"Duval Jr. mentioned to me that his father had sent some men to clean up after Andre's mess he'd made and that meant eliminating any witnesses," Matt said.

"That was us," she said, "Julia and Jonathon were locked up in the basement and didn't even know that these men came and that they were going to do that."

"Where were you," he asked.

She looked at her hands and it was a while before she spoke.

"I was trying to convince Andre to take me and to let them go before the men arrived," she said.

"Did you even know what that meant," Matt said, "What you were saying?"

C.J. stood up and started pacing.

"Of course I did and I do now," she said, "But I didn't think I had any choice. I thought I could buy some time and get away and if not, at least they would be safe."

She sat back down on the couch again and tucked her feet up.

"I was scared and I was young," she said, "I didn't know what to do."

Matt sat down on the couch next to her.

"It was a choice you never should have had to face, let alone make," Matt said, "Scott should never have brought his friends into his own mess."

"But he did," C.J. said, "And when he finally turned up, he had some weak excuse of where he had been and what he was doing. I told him to go to hell. "

"That explains why you didn't like him much after that," Matt said, "I wish you had told me."

"Why? It might have put you in danger," C.J. said, "And Scott was your friend."

"When he put you and others through the hell that he did, he was no longer my friend," Matt said, "But that's not what matters. You shouldn't have had to keep quiet about what happened even to protect others. That shouldn't have been your responsibility."

"Jonathon wanted to go to the police afterward," C.J. said, "He was upset with Julia and me for a while when we said we wouldn't cooperate. Maybe he was right."

"C.J., this was years ago and you were young and frightened and these were really bad men," Matt said, "Your paths would have never crossed if it hadn't been for Scott. That whole situation was his fault, not yours."

She pulled her blanket around herself.

"I really did hate him," she said, "No, I still hate him. But I was really angry with myself."

"Why?"

"Because I felt like I was doing the wrong thing, but I didn't know what choice I had. I asked myself that over and over for a long time."

"You didn't have any good ones," Matt said, "You took what you thought was the best one. You're alive, and that's what counts. I'm very grateful about that."

She studied him for a moment and knew he meant it.

"Me too," she said softly, curling up on the couch.

* * *

Jonathon called his mother to get the latest news on Jed's condition at the hospital where he was recovering from the shooting.

"Jonathon, Jed's going to be just fine," Thea said, "a couple of us are at the hospital. The surgery went very well and he's a bit grouchy but is resting nicely."

"That's good," Jonathon said, "What's next?"

"He's going to be discharged in a few days with strict instructions from the surgeon and then we're heading back home."

"I'm relieved he wasn't hurt worse than that."

"We all are," Thea said, "So what's up on your end?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Jonathon said, "We had another incident when Matt and C.J were being transported to the Denver office. Two agents dead but no bodies yet and they're both missing."

"Oh my god, no," Thea said, "What happened?"

"We're still trying to figure that out."

"Have you got men looking for them?"

"We put out APBs and sent a release to the media outlets which we're going to expand in the morning," he said, "Though I did get a phone call from Matt."

"Are they okay?"

"He's fine. He said that the both of them escaped from another bad agent and an unknown accomplice and left for parts unknown," Jonathon said, "Matt has no intentions on revealing his location or in bringing C.J. to the feds."

"Can you blame him after all that's happened in just the last 48 hours," Thea said, "She's probably safer with him than she is with anyone else."

"We did our best," he said, defensively.

"I know you did, but the truth is, your division is going to have to find out if there's any more rogues running around planning to commit more mayhem. That leaves you unable to protect anyone."

"We are being investigated internally for all this," Jonathon said, "Hopefully, at least the investigators are on the right side."

"I don't think Matt will let anything bad happen to her," Thea said, "I have a lot of faith in him and I think that you should too."

"It's hard to do that when he's just announced that he's not going to reveal where he is and explain further what exactly happened out there," Jonathon said.

* * *

C.J. lay on the couch, pulling the blanket over her.

"I'm going to get in touch with some people I know tomorrow morning," Matt said, "I think they will be willing to help us."

She looked up at him.

"Who are they?"

"I met them while I was away," Matt said, "I helped them and they helped me."

"Where are they," she asked.

"That's what I need to find out," he said, "They have different places that they stay depending on the time of year and what they're doing."

"That sounds like a plan," she said, "I'm tired of running."

"I know," Matt said, "But we have to find out enough of what's going on to find a way to bring it all to an end."

"Andre's got people everywhere," she said, "He's all over the world."

"That's what Marquis said," Matt said, "His operation grew quickly in a relatively short period of time. I think in some ways, Marquis was jealous."

"He's got nothing to be jealous of," C.J. said, "Not that he and his father weren't bad people, but they're not in the same league as Andre."

"That's what Marquis said too," Matt said, "He said that Andre's built his empire on the human trafficking trade."

C.J. nodded.

"Yes, he did after a foray into drug dealing and smuggling," she said, "Guess that wasn't exciting enough for him."

"I gave Jonathon his name and he's going to check to see what comes up," Matt said.

"I don't know if he'll find him."

"He's got to show up on some records," Matt said.

"He's got places all over," she said, "And a lot of people working for him, insulating him from being connected with anything illegal."

"That's difficult to do for very long," Matt said, "And that might work against him."

"That'll be a first," C.J. said, "I knew there were bad people in the world but I never knew about men like him."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about him anymore."

"C.J., you can tell me anything," Matt said, "You know that."

She looked at him then shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said.

He nodded and stood up.

"Okay, then I'm going to get some ice cream," he said, "Would you like some?"

"What kind," C.J. asked.

"Chocolate mint or butter pecan," Matt said, "There was a limited selection to choose from."

"Could you get me some of both?"

"Sure thing," he said, walking into the kitchen. C.J. watched him leave, then put her face in her hands, wondering if she could ever tell him the truth.

* * *

Even while she lay nearly unconscious, she heard voices talking about her.

"She was in that river for a while," one voice said, "She said she jumped off a cliff."

"Where did she escape from," another voice said.

"Somewhere in Washington," the first voice said, "That's all she said."

"Could you take your conversation outside," a woman's voice said, "We've got a patient here."

"Not for long," a voice said, "Unless you knock out that infection."

"If the antibiotics don't work," the woman's voice said, "You'll have to rethink taking her to a hospital."

"Can't do that," the first voice said, "If we do that, then she might be dead for sure faster than any bug could kill her."

"What about her family?"

"She doesn't have any. No one to leave behind if she survives and goes into relocation."

* * *

Matt took the ice cream out of the freezer and spooned some into two bowls. His cell phone rang.

"Hello, Uncle Roy," he said.

"Where the hell are you," Roy asked.

"I can't tell you right now," Matt said, "I already talked to Jonathon."

"Yeah I know, he called me and told me that one of the agents who was supposed to protect C.J. tried to shoot you and that you both got away."

"We're both safe," Matt said, "And I'll tell you where we'll be as soon as I can but I can't say anything more than that now."

"Scott's been asking a lot of questions," Roy said.

Matt paused.

"I've got a lot of questions for him."

"He's set to file assault charges against you for hitting him," Roy said.

"He got off easy."

"He's been saying that he wants to head back to L.A."

"You've got to keep him in Houston," Matt said, "The FBI are sending agents there to interview him on his connection to Andre Duval."

"Connection?"

"They go back nearly 10 years, Uncle Roy," Matt said, "And Duval's the one who's responsible for all this. I'm sure of it."

"When will that interview happen?"

"I don't know, but Scott knows what's going on. He did some work for him. It got C.J. and her friend Julia in a whole lot of trouble."

"Do you think he's still working for him now," Roy asked.

"I don't know," Matt said, "He betrayed Duval's trust before. I'm not sure why he would be brought back into his fold unless Duval really needed him."

"Or he had something that Duval wanted."

"Yeah, I think he did," Matt said, "Listen I got to go. I'll get back in touch with you down the road."

"I'm not happy about that, nephew, but I do understand it."

"We'll be okay," Matt said, "I've thinking about what to do next and I think I have some ideas."

"That's good," Roy said, "How's C.J. doing?"

Matt paused.

"She's having a very hard time right now. I've never seen her like this," he said, "But she saved my life today."

"She's been through a lot but she really cares about you. Give her some time," Roy said, "Say hi to her for me and stay safe."

"I will," Matt said, "Talk to you later."

* * *

He walked back in the living room with the ice cream.

"Thanks," C.J. said, taking a bowl, "Some people might think that ice cream in the middle of the winter is strange."

"Sounds perfect to me," Matt said, "I spoke with Uncle Roy. He said hi."

"I hope I get to see him."

"You will," Matt said, "We just have to figure out a plan on what to do next."

She looked at him.

"Why'd you come back after all that time?"

He looked back in surprise.

"I was only gone six months," Matt said, "But it seemed long enough to be running."

"We weren't sure if you were coming back," C.J. said, "You were so upset when you left."

Matt nodded.

"Yes I was, but after the first few months, I was ready to come back to what I had, not worry about what I didn't."

"We all really missed you," C.J. said, "I really missed you."

"I really was happy about being home until I found out you weren't there."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about working with the FBI," she said, "I couldn't."

"Don't worry about that," Matt said, "I know you're looking out for me."

"You're the only family I have," she said, "I was just thinking about something I had heard when I first arrived at Jonathon's family's ranch. I was pretty out of it and didn't really know what was going on except I was sick. Someone said that I had no family to leave behind if I'd died."

"You have me, you have Uncle Roy and you have a lot of friends."

She nodded.

"I know," she said, "But the past six months reminded me how important family is, especially since I thought I would never see anyone again."

"I know what that's like," Matt said, "Even when I found out I had been adopted, I couldn't be angry with my father for long because he was my father. I still miss him a lot."

"I know," she said, "I remember how hard that was for you."

"We've both lost a lot," Matt said, "But we gained a lot too."

C.J. put her bowl down.

"I always thought I'd have a family some day," she said.

"You will," he said, "We both will. We're still young, plenty of chances left in life."

"I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what my future holds."

"A long and happy life, C.J. with people who love you, that's what you deserve."

She looked at him, her eyes tearing a bit.

"That ice cream was dirty pool," she said, "But I've really missed spending time like this."

Matt smiled then shrugged.

"Don't look at me," he said, "Sometimes ice cream is just, ice cream."

* * *

"They might have found something," Chad said.

"Like what," Jonathon asked.

"Someone reported finding an abandoned car and some bodies off the highway near Denver," Chad said, "We're going to send a team out to the scene with the state police."

"Who found it?"

"A group of teenagers who got lost in that snow flurry," Chad said, "They were lucky they didn't get stuck in it. They don't want to give their names. It seems at least one of them was grounded."

"We'll leave that up to the parents," Jonathon said, "They're witnesses. Did they see anything?"

Chad shook his head.

"They just saw two bodies lying on the ground," he said, "They must be our agents."

"Matt Houston said they were both deceased when he and C.J. left."

"Deceased by who," Chad said, "We still have no idea what the hell happened out there."

* * *

"It's been a long day," Matt said, as he and C.J. sat by the fire, "Are you tired?"

"A little bit," C.J. said, "So what happens tomorrow?"

"I'm going to try to contact those folks I met again," he said, "And find out if they're willing to help us."

"I hope they can, but if they agree I hope what they're getting themselves into."

"These are tough guys, C.J.," Matt said, "They'll be more than able to go a long way in bringing Andre's career to a close."

"I wish we could have done more back then. But Julia and I were just glad to get away from him."

"She'd be fine with doing this if she were still alive," Matt said, "She was a victim too."

C.J. nodded.

"She'd be leading the charge, well dressed of course" she said, "In fact, she warned me to be careful just before her death."

She reached over to the table and picked up her box again. After looking through it, her brow furrowed.

"There's a letter missing," she said, "It's the one warning me about Scott."

"Oh that one," Matt said, walking over to one of his bags, "I saved that one after I read it. There was something in it."

She watched him search.

"Here it is," he said, pulling out a faded envelope, then brought it to her.

She took it and opened it out, pulling out the letter and a small key. She handed it to him.

"What's the key for?"

"It's to a safety deposit box at a bank in Houston," she said, "When I worked for the feds, I remembered about the letter. I was going to fly out to Texas but I never had the chance."

"We'll I guess we're going to find a way to slip into Houston and retrieve what's in the box," he said.

"How are we going to do that?"

Matt looked at the key in his palm.

"We'll figure out a way."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

* * *

Sleep came easily that night, but it didn't come alone. It brought the dreams with it, rushing in like the river that had nearly claimed her. She stood in a study, decorated with antique furniture including a desk made out of polished oak. A desk she now searched, looking through its drawers, including one that was locked. That didn't matter because she had the key. She looked around the room every once in a while to make sure no one was there especially him.

She saw it on the bottom of that drawer and grabbed it.

"What are you doing there," a man said.

C.J. spun around and saw Semour Piser standing in the doorway. She slipped the disk into her pocket, shut the drawer and crept out from behind the desk.

"I told him not to bring you here," Piser said, walking into the room, "But he wouldn't listen."

"I'm not doing anything. I couldn't sleep," she said, "Why are you up here so late?"

"I need to talk to Andre about something, but now we'll have something better to talk about."

"Fine, talk to him," she said, "But I don't think he's going to want to be disturbed this late at night."

"He won't mind when I tell him what you've been up to," Piser said, caressing her hair, "Unless you're willing to take my mind off of it."

She pushed him away and stepped backward.

"Go to hell," she said, "Or back to prison where you belong."

He grabbed her wrist.

"I'm not going back anywhere," Piser said, "My furlough has been extended indefinitely. No thanks to you and the gutter trash who testified against me but that's all water under the bridge now."

She pulled her wrist away.

"Someday, you'll get what's coming to you," she said.

"I already have," Piser said, "More wealth than I could ever imagine and watching what's happening to you."

"Then you'd better enjoy it now while you can," she said, staring him in the eye, "You never know when it might end."

Andre walked into the room.

"What's going on here?"

Both turned to look at him.

* * *

She woke up and sat up on the couch, looking around her but she was alone in the dark. Heart pounding, she threw the blanket off of her and walked to the kitchen, where she saw a glimmer of light.

"What are you doing up," Matt asked from where he sat at the table.

She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a milk carton.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, "Must have been all that ice cream."

"I couldn't either," he said, "I think I know how we can go to Houston and get to the bank without running into any more of Andre's men."

She poured herself a glass of milk and went to sit with him.

"That's good," she said, "I can't seem to get away from them even when I sleep."

He looked at her pale face surrounded by a halo of mahogany hair falling loose from her pony tail, trying not to focus on the lines of silver intertwined with her eyebrows.

"You know, the nightmares can't hurt you," he said, "Especially if you talk about them."

"Who told you that," she said, turning toward him.

He raised his brows.

She looked up at him, then ran her hand through her hair.

"I wish they'd go away," she said, "That's all there's to say about them."

"They will, when the time is right," Matt said, "I had them for months after I left the military."

"You did," C.J. said, "What'd you do about them?"

"After a while, I realized that it was just my mind trying to make sense out of what would never make sense," Matt said, "Some things just are the way they are and we're never really able to understand why that is."

"I dreamed about Semour Piser," she said, "You remember him?"

"Yeah, he's dead now," Matt said, "They found his body several weeks ago up near Washington."

"He worked for Andre," C.J. said, "Had been for quite a long time."

" I know," Matt said, "Some of the women at Bannon County saw them together in the detention center there."

"He finally got what was coming to him," she said quietly.

"They don't know how he died or who killed him," Matt said, then looked at her, "Do you know anything about that?"

C.J. sipped from her glass and wouldn't look at him.

"If he were alive today, I wouldn't be."

Matt had caught a glimpse of her face and knew he had received his answer.

* * *

Jonathon, Chad and a team of FBI and U.S Marshal Agents teemed the site where the abandoned vehicle had been discovered by the teenagers who had gotten lost. Even with heavy jackets, they shivered in the frigid air and dawn still remained several hours away. At least it had stopped snowing.

A state police officer met them and led them over to one of the bodies.

"That's Al Gentry," Chad said, after looking at the body lying in the snow.

"He died in or next to your missing vehicle. There's not much blood on the ground," the officer said, "See those tire tracks next to his body. Someone got out of here in a hurry."

Jonathon shone his flashlight on the ground and saw them, deeper in some places than others, exposing the mud beneath the snow.

"We'll have to get ballistics on whatever lead they pull out of his body during the autopsy."

The police officer nodded.

"The other body is near a ravine," the officer said, "One bullet shot to the head."

"Someone was either really lucky or a hell of a shot," Chad said, "Take them both in."

"That must be Bryant," Jonathon said, "So which one was the traitor?"

"The one by the ravine, I would guess," Chad said, "He might have been trying to execute one of them, most likely Mr. Houston since they wanted Ms Parsons alive."

"Houston said he shot one of them," Jonathon said, "I'm not sure I believe him. Maybe we'll know more when ballistics comes back."

"The vehicle here doesn't belong to Justice so it must have belonged to the hit man," Chad said, "He's not around so he either died of exposure somewhere or he hitched out."

"Why'd he leave his car here," Jonathon said and then it hit him.

He left Chad and ran over to the officers surrounding the car.

"Stand back away from there," Jonathon said, "Don't touch it, I'm calling the bomb squad out to check it out for explosives just in case."

Chad joined him.

"So you think it might be booby-trapped," he said.

Jonathon wiped his brow.

"I'm sure as hell not taking any chances," he said.

* * *

C.J. looked out the window at the rising sun, filtering its way through thinly stretched clouds. She returned to the stove where she prepared omelets with what ingredients were available and some toast.

Matt entered the kitchen.

"Bill's going to loan us one of his vehicles," Matt said, "It's much safer than driving in a government car which probably's been reported stolen by now."

C.J. turned to look at him and nodded.

"We'll have some breakfast and then get ready to go back to Texas," she said.

"When we get there, we'll head to the bank and pick up whatever Julia's left in the box ," he said, "Then we'll head to the airport and grab one of the jets and fly out of there."

"Where are we going," she said.

"I heard back from my friends," Matt said, "They're currently based on an island in the Caribbean waiting for us. I sent them some information on Andre and the rest of the Duvals and they're going to see what they can dig up."

"Sounds good," she said, "Omelets are done."

She scooped one off of the frying pan and onto a plate for him. He took a careful look at it.

"It looks kind of interesting," he said, "Smells pretty good."

"There were enough canned goods here for half a dozen blizzards," she said, "But some of the ingredients weren't bad."

He took a bite, then raised his brows.

"Not bad Ms Parsons," he said, "If you ever want to quit your day job…"

She laughed a little.

"I would give anything to be back doing my day job," she said, "But thanks."

"How'd you sleep," Matt asked.

"Pretty good," she said, "The milk helped."

Matt scooped up a forkful of omelet.

"We're going to have to figure out a way to get you in and out of that bank."

"Do you think it's going to be safe going back to Texas," she asked.

"I think they all might be thinking we'd steer clear of there," Matt said, "They don't know about Julia's letter and the box."

"I wonder what's in there," C.J. said, "I never thought to look."

"She was looking out for you when she sent that letter so it must be something important."

"I think she felt guilty for calling me down to pick her up, without telling me the truth about what was going on," C.J. said, "But I never blamed her or felt she was responsible."

"Hopefully, there's something in there that can help us nail Scott," Matt said, "Maybe even Andre."

"It's difficult to get to him. I tried finding something, anything to do that when I was kidnapped," C.J. said, "I stole a disk one night from his office. I thought I lost it in the river but Jed found it and a contact of his was able to pull some information off. Just not very much."

"What did he find," Matt asked.

"A list of files for different cities around the world," she said, putting her fork down, "But there was a payroll list of individuals including the agent who supervised Jonathon back in D.C."

"He was killed in that explosion in the train station, wasn't he?"

C.J. nodded.

"Not long before Andre's men found out where I was hiding," she said.

"Probably went to pick up his payment for giving you up to Andre and wound up looking at a bomb instead."

"Jed's contact was killed and I think he had the disk with him so they must have it now," C.J. said, "It was so hard to get my hands on it. I almost got caught by Piser and had to talk my way out of it."

"What did Piser do for Andre," he said, "We know he ran the Bannon County operation then spent some time in prison before being released on furlough."

"He was Andre's right hand man," she said, "But I don't think the two really trusted each other."

Matt got up and took the dishes from the table.

"That's not surprising between two thugs," he said, "And maybe Piser with his background thought it would be better if he were in charge."

"Nobody ever told Andre what to do or challenged him without paying a price," she said, picking up a dish and washing it, "He'd kill anyone who did that or worse."

Matt watched the dish tremble in her hand.

"Here, I'll take it," he said and she handed it to him.

"Piser's a bad guy, Houston," she said, "But not like Andre."

He dried the dishes and put them in the cupboard.

"We've got to find out where he's basing his operations," Matt said, "That's what my friends are looking at."

* * *

Jonathon sat at his desk. Chad walked in and threw a newspaper on his desk.

"What's the _Post _done now," Jonathon said,

"They've stated that there's rampant corruption in the DOJ," Chad said, "And a huge coverup going on by different entities including my office."

"Is that surprising that they'd write that garbage," Jonathon said, "They think the entire law enforcement profession is one big rotten apple barrel."

"They said that we set up our own witnesses to be killed," Chad said, "The Attorney General has already been on the phone to your office demanding an internal investigation."

"It's already been done."

"He's been getting pressured by Congress to expand its scope before there will be any further appropriations in funding considered," Chad said.

"The_ Post_ didn't happen to write anything about where Ms Parsons and Mr. Houston are located, did they?"

Chad shook his head.

"They're still out there somewhere," Chad said, "And if anything happens to them, there will be hell to pay somewhere."

"I'm more worried about Houston running around," Jonathon said, "He actually told me that he and C.J. had no intentions of coming in because our office can't keep her safe."

"They're seriously not thinking of going after this Duval guy on their own, are they?"

Jonathon sighed.

"I hope not," Jonathon said, "They'll just get themselves killed."

"There's not much coming back on Duval," Chad said, "He's got ties to his country's embassy and he's got an importing business."

Jonathon shook his head.

"Houston might be a maverick who wears his heart on his sleeve," Jonathon said, "But he's right about Duval being a really bad guy. We just need to look beneath the surface of this façade he's hiding behind."

* * *

C.J. and Matt took off towards Texas in the old car borrowed by an even older family friend. The sky looked clear for miles across the mountains.

"It's going to take us a while to get to Houston," Matt said, turning on the heater.

C.J. shrugged.

"As long as we get there," she said, "I loved Colorado, but it will be nice to see something that's more like home if only for a little while."

* * *

Jonathon picked up the phone, just as Chad was going to leave. He raised his hand.

"Okay, thanks for passing that information along," Jonathon said, "We'll send a team out right now."

He put the phone down.

"Who was that," Chad asked.

"It was Denver PD," Jonathon said, "He found a car matching the plates of one of our missing service vehicle on a side street."

"Any sign of your witnesses?"

Jonathon shook his head.

"It was completely empty," Jonathon said, "There was melting snow on it so it was probably parked over night which means that they probably were staying nearby."

"Then I'm sure they'll canvass the neighborhood to find out if anyone saw them."

"They're not criminals," Jonathon said, "I think they're being treated as they did something wrong."

"Jonathon, we don't know what happened out there," Chad said, "We have two dead agents and an assertion by Mr. Houston that one was dirty. We need to bring them in for questioning and get Ms Parsons back in protective custody."

Jonathon nodded.

* * *

Matt and C.J. drove Bill's car all night, taking turns behind the wheel. They worried about encountering any law enforcement officers during their drive but the highway remained nearly deserted most of the distance until they hit Texas.

C.J. drove down the highway passing Dallas, while Matt slept. The horizon to the east turned pink, as dawn approached. She had taken over the driving when she realized that the past several days had finally crept up on him. She had no intention of disturbing him.

* * *

"Hey, the pilot said that he's about ready to land," C.J. said, as she gently shook Matt's shoulder. He sat up and looked around the Lear Jet.

"I must have nodded off when Novelli was regaling me with one of his war stories."

She smiled.

"He was telling me about how the both of you staged that argument to fool Duval's men," she said, "And how he saved them from killing you on the airplane."

"He did, did he?"

"How'd you fill him in on what was going on without Duval knowing?"

"I didn't," Matt said, "He just knew."

"You took a serious chance coming back for me," she said, "Both of you."

He brushed the hair off of her face.

"There's no way I wouldn't, C.J.," he said, "I would never let anything happen to you."

"The whole time I was wondering if I'd ever see you again," she said, "Part of me hoped I wouldn't, that you'd be safe."

"And what about the other part?"

"That I would, even if it was the last time."

He pulled her into his arms and she nestled her head against his chest.

"Well, we're both safe now and on our way back home," Matt said, "There's going to be plenty of next times."

* * *

Driving down the highway, C.J. wondered if that were still true. Whether she would be able to return to her old life when this was all over or whether she'd have to live a new one some place miles away from everyone she knew and cared about.

Matt stirred.

"What time is it," he said, stretching his arms.

"It's almost six a.m."

"Now this looks more familiar," he said, "Maybe a couple hours left until we get there."

She nodded.

"The bank's in the middle of the city," she said, "It opens at nine."

"I'll call the airport and tell them to prepare one of my planes to leave soon after," Matt said, "I wish we could stay longer."

"I know, but it's not safe and every minute we spend there puts other people in danger."

"Dan's body guards are still protecting everyone," Matt said, "In case Andre tries to go after them."

"He won't," she said, "unless he's got no choice and it's not going to get to that point. I'm not going to let him hurt anyone else."

"C.J…"

"No, I'm not going to argue and I'm not going to let him," she said, "Almost watching you die back there was enough. Not to mention Dan and Jed getting hurt."

"It's not going to get to that point," Matt said, "I think we'll find a plan that will work to end this before it goes much further."

She nodded and continued driving, still lost in her thoughts.

* * *

"No one's reported seeing them?"

Jonathon looked up from where he had nodded off at his desk that he had been using to see Chad bringing in some coffee in Styrofoam cups and egg sandwiches. He tossed one to Jonathon.

"No one's called in the past several hours," Jonathon said, "I wonder if they're even still in the state."

"Maybe unless they drove all night," Chad said, "I wonder where they'd head."

"It depends whether or not Houston's come up with a plan."

Chad sighed and drank some coffee.

"All that's going to happen is that it will be more dangerous for them," he said.

"Houston thinks that it's more dangerous for C.J. to stay with us," Jonathon said, "And he's always been stubborn about her when it comes to her welfare."

"Stubborn isn't going to last very long against professional hit men."

"They've survived so far," Jonathon said, "But I don't think this Andrico Duval is ever going to give up."

* * *

They reached the city limits of Houston and exited the highway.

"It's up a couple of streets," C.J. said, looking out the window, "It should be open by now."

"We need to get in there and out pretty fast," Matt said, "In case, there are any pictures of us floating around town."

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?"

"Someone will be meeting us in the parking lot when we get there," Matt said.

C.J. looked at him.

"Who," she said,

He just looked at her as she turned the car into the parking lot at the bank. She parked in a spot near the corner of the lot beneath an oak tree. They both got out of the car, breathing in the brisk cool air.

C.J. looked up and saw Chris standing there, next to her car waiting for them and smiled broadly.

"Oh look who's here," she said, looking at Matt before walking to Chris and hugging her.

"How're you doing," she said, "I heard about Dan."

"It's so good to see you, C.J.," Chris said, "Dan's still in the hospital but he's getting out soon. Matt saved his life."

C.J. looked at Matt.

"I just did what anyone else would do," he said.

Chris opened up the door to her car.

"I brought what you asked for," she said, reaching into her purse and pulling out identification for C.J. to use in the bank. She also pulled out some sunglasses and a hat and handed them to C.J. who put them down.

"How do I look," she asked.

Matt raised his brows.

"You look…different."

The three of them walked to the entrance of the bank.

"I'll go inside and get what's inside the box," C.J. said, "I'll be back."

The two of them watched her walk into the bank.

Chris turned to link her arm with Matt's, as they sat on a low side wall to wait.

"So how is she really," she asked.

Matt paused, then looked at her.

"I'm very worried about her," he said.

"Matt, she's been through a great deal in the past few months," Chris said, "She needs time and she needs to get through this. You're helping her do that."

"I know," he said, "But I don't know how to really reach her because she's keeping so much deep inside her and she's not letting anyone in."

"I think she's trying to keep it there," Chris said, "So that she can get through each day and stay one step ahead of these creeps who are trying to find her."

* * *

C.J. adjusted her glasses and walked up to the front counter.

"I'd like to access a safety deposit box in my name," she said to the woman standing there.

"Do you have some identification," the woman asked.

She reached into her purse and pulled out her card. The woman held it close to her eyes to read it. C.J. looked at her hands, hoping that the woman wouldn't recognize her, in case she and Matt's escape had hit the news circuit in Texas. The woman finally handed it back to her.

"Come with me," she said.

C.J. followed her out of the main room and down a narrow hallway into a separate area of the bank. The woman opened a door and they both walked inside to where there were row upon row of locked boxes. C.J. pulled out the key and looked for the number.

"I'll be back if you need me," the woman said then left her alone. C.J. walked along the rows of identical compartments until she found the right one.

She turned the key inside the lock and pulled out the box, placing it on a counter in the middle of the room.

She looked inside it and found some papers, which she pulled out and placed on the counter. She would read them later. Inside, she found a picture of her and Julia together at a dinner that they had attended after Julia had finished her round of chemotherapy. She fingered it thoughtfully.

* * *

"Hey, C.J., you awake there," Julia said from the table they were seated at inside the restaurant.

She looked up with a start.

"I'm fine," she said, "I had a late night studying for midterms."

Julia laughed.

"God, I hate being sick more than anything," she said, "But one thing I don't miss is exams."

"I'm taking two tomorrow and then I've got to go to the airport and pick up Houston," she said.

"How long's he on leave this time?"

C.J. smiled.

"Four days," she said, "We thought we'd spend some time here and then go to Cape Cod."

"Four days alone with a great guy like that…"

Flipping her hair back, C.J. studied her friend.

"It's not like that at all with us," she said, "We're just great friends. You know that I'm still going out with Jonathon."

"I thought you two broke up," Julia said, frowning.

"We did," C.J. said, "But we got back together. He's starting his federal training with the Department of Justice next month."

"Good for him," Julia said, "You're so lucky to have two great men in your life. Don't forget that."

* * *

C.J. smiled and put her hand back in the box again and this time, pulled out what felt like a smooth plastic square which turned out to be a case used to store a CD or computer disk. She turned it over and that's when she saw something that chilled her blood. Sweat prickled her face and she dropped it, taking one step back.

It was an animal with the body and head of a lion, with broad wings and the tail of a snake. A chimera, staring back at her.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

* * *

C.J. reined in her emotions before they could get away from her and reached for the case again. She opened it and saw the CD. She placed the papers and case inside her purse, careful to keep the image of the chimera away from her view. Then she rang for the woman.

She lay on the floor as she had been for hours, curled up in a ball with her eyes closed. The image of the strange creature, a blend of different animals melded into one, stayed with her and she hated it. She didn't hear the door open.

"Miss?"

She turned her face and saw the young woman dressed in black, carrying the tray. She placed her hands on the floor and gingerly raised herself up into a sitting position. Her mouth felt like sand paper and her wrists ached.

"I brought you some food," the woman said, "Are you hungry?"

C.J. looked at her, then slowly shook her head.

"Do you have any water?"

The woman nodded and poured water from a pitcher into a glass, handing it to C.J. who drank from it.

"What are you doing here," C.J. asked.

"I work for the Senor," the woman said, "He told me to look in on you this morning."

C.J. tried to stand up, but the floor spun around her. The woman grabbed her arm, her grip strong and helped her to the bed.

"Are you feeling sick," she asked and C.J. thought some concern laced her voice.

C.J. shook her head.

"I feel dizzy," she said, "I think I just need to splash some water on my face."

The woman nodded.

"I'll leave some food for you here," she said, "You can eat it when you feel better."

C.J. watched her leave the room, and lay back on the bed, closing her eyes again against the images which threatened to inundate her.

The woman tapped C.J. on the shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, "You rang the bell. I thought you were finished."

"I am. I just need to get my things," C.J. said, following the woman out of the room.

* * *

Matt stood up and looked around.

"It's strange being back here," he said, "And knowing that we have to leave again."

"How long will you be gone," Chris said.

"I don't know," he said, "But it's probably going to be for a while."

"Matt, you know I'll help you with whatever you need," she said.

"Thank you," Matt said, "But I don't want you to wind up like Dan."

They looked up and saw C.J. walking towards them.

"What'd you find," Chris asked.

"More papers," C.J. said, before reaching into her purse, "And this."

Matt took the plastic case out of her hand and looked at it.

"It's the chimera," Matt said, "Remember Chris, the women who were at Bannon County said that this Rico guy had a tattoo like this."

"And you think Rico is the same guy as this Andre," Chris asked.

Matt nodded.

"Andre has a tattoo of a chimera," C.J. said. "It looks just like that one."

Matt looked at Chris.

"So it does have to do with their organization," Chris said.

"Now the next step is finding out just where their organization is located," Matt said, as they walked back to their cars.

* * *

Scott sat in his office at Houston Enterprises, talking on the phone.

"No, I have no idea where she is," he said, "But I did see another employee take off in a rush after she received a phone call…I've done everything you've asked me to do…"

He heard a knock on his door.

"I've got to go," he said, slamming down the phone.

He saw Roy standing in the doorway in one of his trademarked suits with a carnation inserted in a button hole.

"What's wrong now, old man," Scott asked, "The stock market dropped again?"

Roy looked at him a moment.

"The FBI is here to speak with you."

* * *

After saying goodbye to Chris, Matt and C.J. headed to the airport.

"So Julia left behind another CD," Matt said, "I wonder what's on it."

"We'll need a computer to find out," C.J. said.

"There'll be one on the plane along with anything else we need."

"Are you sure you're ready to do this," C.J. said, "Leave all this behind?"

Matt looked at her.

"It's only temporary until we find a way to stop Andre," he said.

"That's what the feds told me months ago," she said, "I really wanted to believe that was true."

"This time it will be," Matt said, "Then we'll be able to come back home."

She thought about that.

"That's a word I really haven't thought about in a long time."

"Everyone's missed you a lot," Matt said.

His phone rang.

"Hello," he said.

"Matt , it's Jonathon, where the hell are you?"

"You know I can't tell you that," Matt said, "And this isn't going to be a long conversation."

"We put out APBs everywhere," Jonathon said, "You might as well come in before Andrico Duval finds you."

"You mean Andre Duval, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Matt said, "I heard all about what happened to you back in Boston years ago. The question is, do your supervisors know."

"What are you saying? I didn't know…" Jonathon said.

The phone call had ended.

"What did you tell him," C.J. asked, after watching Matt put his phone away.

"I asked him if his supervisors knew about his prior run-in with Andre."

She shook her head.

"If he didn't know, it was my fault, Houston," she said, "I knew and I should have told him but I didn't."

"He shouldn't have been placed on an assignment if he had a prior contact with the man," Matt said, "He should never have been assigned this to begin with because of his prior relationship with you."

"I'm the one who went to him," she said, "I had nowhere else to turn."

"I'm sorry I was gone, C.J. when you needed someone," Matt said.

"None of this is anyone's fault," she said, "It's all ancient history now and pointing fingers isn't going to change that."

"No, it won't and you're right," Matt said, "The only thing that will is if we can find anything useful on that disk that Julia sent you and put a plan into action."

* * *

Scott sat back in his chair and stared back at the two FBI agents who had arrived in his office to question him.

"As you can see, this interrogation is a waste of your time," Scott said, "I had nothing to do with anything that's happened in the past six months."

One of the agent's flipped through a file in front of him.

"Did you have any past relationship with a man named Andrico Duval?"

Scott pulled at his shirt collar.

"No I have not," Scott said, "Our paths might have crossed when we both attended graduate school in Boston but we didn't know each other."

"Did you attend any parties that Duval frequented when you were back in Harvard Law School?"

"Several maybe," Scott said, "That doesn't make me an associate or an accomplice to this man if he has done what he's said to have done."

"What do you think Duval has done," one of the agents asked.

"What do you mean," Scott said, "Are you trying to put words in my mouth?"

The agent sat back and clasped his fingers together.

"Not at all," he said, "You seem to think that Duval's been engaged in some sort of illegal conduct. He's not the subject of this investigation. Unless of course you have information to provide for us on why he should be."

Scott looked at the two men, then shook his head.

"You shouldn't be asking me about this," Scott said, "I told you that I was suspicious of some activities being carried out by one of the employees, Ms Parsons before she disappeared."

"Ah yes, the woman who was in protective custody under the U.S. Marshal's office," the agent said, "Until there were several attempts made against her."

"And…"

"Nothing, Mr. Prescow," the agent said, "We're not here to talk about Marshal business. We're here to talk about you and any associations you had with Duval."

Scott tensed in his chair.

"I told you, I didn't have anything to do with him," he said.

"Your own boss threw a punch at you during an altercation a few days ago," the agent said, "What was that about?"

"He flew off the handle about some misunderstanding," Scott said, "I plan to press assault charges against him as soon as he turns up."

"The feeling seems to be mutual," the agent said, "He told the Marshal's office he wanted to make sure charges were filed against you. Do you have any idea what that's about?"

* * *

Chad came in the office and Jonathon looked at him and finished his phone call.

"What's up," Jonathon said after Chad tossed him some documents.

"These are ballistics," he said, "Back already?"

Chad sat down.

"They were expedited," he said, "Bullet that hit Al came from Bryant's agency issued firearm."

"So Bryant was the dirty one," Jonathon said, "That makes some sense. He was the agent nearest the ravine."

"They're pulling his files including background right now," Chad said, "Part of that internal investigation ordered by the AG's office."

"That's to be expected," Jonathon said, "What about the bullet that hit Bryant?"

Chad shook his head.

"Don't know where that one came from," he said, "It must have been a handgun carried by someone else who was there. Do we have any information on weapons in the possession of either Mr. Houston or Ms Parsons?"

"Mr. Houston said he fired the shot that killed one agent," Jonathon said, "That had to have been Bryant."

"Do you believe him?"

"I'm not sure at this point what to believe," Jonathon said, "But if he did fire it, it looks like it's self defense. Can't say I'd do differently if I were in their shoes."

* * *

"How long's he been in there with them?"

Roy looked at Chris who had joined him in the conference room.

"For about an hour," Roy said.

"Do you think he's telling the truth about not knowing Duval?"

Roy shook his head.

"No, I think he's been in thick with him for years," Roy said, "Matt mentioned some incident back when C.J. was in law school where their paths crossed."

"Are they working together now?"

Roy sighed, sipping his coffee.

"I'd bet on it," Roy said, "C.J. knew before she disappeared that Scott had something to do with the problems with the company's books. She just didn't have time to tell anyone."

"She worked with the feds," Chris said, "but they didn't protect her very well."

"They probably didn't know about Duval," Roy said, "And neither did C.J. until it was too late."

* * *

Chris entered into the office and saw C.J. pack some files into a satchel.

"I'm closing up," she said, "are you ready to go?"

C.J. looked up at her and smiled.

"I'll be ready in a minute," she said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I've been at this all day."

Chris furrowed her brow.

"I thought Murray handled all the accounting work," she said.

"He does, but I wanted to double check some irregularities that turned up," she said, "That's all."

"Maybe we should find a way to contact him," Chris said.

C.J. tilted her head.

"Who…You mean Houston?"

"Yeah, if there's something wrong with the company, he'd want to know."

"Chris, we don't know where he is," C.J. said, "He took off and didn't leave any forwarding information. He's made it clear that he doesn't want anyone to find him."

"But he needs to know," Chris said, looking around the office, "I don't think I trust Scott."

C.J. frowned.

"I'm glad I'm not the only one, Chris."

"He stays late and spends a lot of time on his computer and the phone," Chris said.

"I've not found anything to link him to anything illegal," C.J. said, "But I've started this batch of documents."

"Be careful of him," Chris said, "In case he's up to something and isn't working alone."

* * *

C.J. looked out the window and saw that they were nearing the airport. Matt reached for his phone.

"Hi, Uncle Roy," he said.

"Where you are nephew," Roy asked.

"I'm going to be at the airport in a few minutes," he said, "The crew's getting one of the planes ready for takeoff."

"Where are you heading?"

"I can't tell you that," Matt said, "But I've got a disk that C.J. and I retrieved from a safety deposit box at a bank set up by her friend, Julia Martin before she died. We're going to look at what's on it and see if it contains any useful information for bringing down these thugs."

"Speaking of, Scott's being interviewed by two FBI agents," Roy said.

"He'll probably deny everything and I'm not sure they've got anything on him."

"We'll work on that on this end while you and C.J. are heading toward wherever it is that you're going."

"Thanks Uncle Roy, I really appreciate that."

"How's C.J.?"

"She's doing okay," Matt said, "We're going to be there in about a half an hour."

"The plane will be ready."

"Thanks," Matt said, looking at C.J. "How's that favor I asked you going?"

* * *

Jonathon sighed over three binders which represented what was once Bryant and his career with the agency.

The phone rang.

"Hello, this is Jonathon speaking."

"Hi, this is Agent Simon Denton with the FBI. We just got word that your witness, Ms Parsons was spotted going into a bank in Houston this morning."

"Are you sure of this?"

"Affirmative," Denton said, "We're sending someone to talk to an employee there and we're pulling surveillance video to match up but a young woman did go to that bank using her name."

"What are they doing in Texas," Jonathon asked.

"That's not known," Denton said, "We've also got several agents in Houston interviewing Mr. Prescow."

"How's that going?"

"I would guess he's feeling a bit uncomfortable by now."

Jonathon sighed.

"I guess we'll be sending a team from our office to Houston as well."

* * *

They reached the airport and parked Bill's old car, near the area which was reserved for private aircraft. After removing their luggage, they walked past a line of Cessnas and Pipers moored to their parking slips, towards a smaller row of Lear Jets and Gulfstreams aircraft.

"Are you going to file a flight plan," C.J. said.

"Part of one," Matt said, "That will get us out into the Gulf."

"Then what?"

"We head off for parts unknown as far as everyone else will know," he said.

"Sometimes I wish we could," she said, with a smile, "But what I really want is to go home and do the things I took for granted."

He looked at her.

"I think you'll like where we're going," he said, "The weather's a lot nicer this time of year."

"That sounds promising," she said, "How's the cuisine?"

"It's not Texas barbeque but it's the next best thing," Matt said, as they entered a courtyard next to a building, "and speaking of Texas barbecue…"

C.J. looked ahead and saw a group of their friends standing around a barbecue, cooking steaks and chicken and a table filled with different salads and rice, roasted potatoes and bean dishes.

Chris and Fran walked up to them.

"Good to see you," Fran said, hugging C.J. close, "We missed you so much."

"I missed you too," C.J. said, rubbing her eyes, "I never thought I'd see you again."

Fran put her arm around C.J. and led her to the table.

"It's a going away barbecue, Texas style," she said, "You look great but you need to put some meat on."

Roy and Carlos stood talking next to the table and smiled when they saw her. Rhonda stood at another table with large pitchers of ice tea.

C.J. started to fill a plate of food and was joined by Matt. She looked at him, her eyes shiny.

"Thank you," she said.

"It wasn't just me, C.J., you have more friends that care about you and want to make sure you know that they are there for you no matter what."

"You make it sound so easy," she said.

"It's not that hard," he said, "Just that first step."

"Yeah, that first step," C.J. said, "I've given that advice myself. You're right."

Rhonda came by to sit with her and Matt sought out Roy.

"He searched really hard for you," Rhonda said, "I'm really glad he found you."

C.J. nodded.

"It's great to be back here if just for a little while."

"You'll be back again for good before you know it," Rhonda said, "And those thugs will be in jail where they belong."

"I hope so," C.J. said, "Semour Piser's dead."

Rhonda nodded.

"Yeah, I heard about that," she said, "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy if you ask me."

"He worked with Andre Duval while we were in the Bannon County jail."

"Matt told me about that," Rhonda said, "Some of the girls saw him with Piser."

"So did I," C.J. said.

* * *

"So do you know where you're going," Roy asked.

Matt nodded.

"I'll get in touch with you as soon as I can," he said.

"That's fine," Roy said, "But stay safe, the both of you."

"We will."

"They're still interrogating Scott over at his office," Roy said.

"The feds?"

"Yeah, Chris and I checked on them before we left."

"They need to take him in," Matt said, "for what happened to C.J."

"They will when they have enough evidence against him," Roy said.

Matt paced.

"When will that be," he said, "It was bad enough what happened when they were in law school."

"That incident you mean," Roy asked.

"Scott betrayed Duval years ago. So Duval took C.J., Julia and Jonathon hostage until Scott returned with something he stole from Duval and…'

"Scott never returned," Roy said.

"No he didn't and his "friends" nearly got killed as a result," Matt said, "I know he's responsible for what happened to C.J. this time and he's going to pay for that."

"I think you're right," Roy said, "But you don't have any proof and neither does the FBI."

* * *

"Why would I have any idea why Matt would want to file charges against me," Scott said, " You keep asking me that and I haven't done anything illegal."

"Nobody says you have, Mr. Prescow," the agent said, "What we need is your assistance on this matter. Did you have any business relationship past or present with Mr. Duval?"

"Wait a minute," Scott said, raising his head, "I thought you just said he wasn't under investigation."

"He's not at this time," the agent said, "Mr. Duval is a prominent businessman with ties to the international community as far as we know."

"Then why do you want to know or care about my associations with such an upstanding person?"

"We just do," the agent said, "So you were associated with Mr. Duval?"

"I just told you I wasn't," Scott said, "Why do you keep asking the same questions?"

"Because you haven't answered them Mr. Prescow."

"Am I under investigation," Scott asked, tugging at his collar.

The two agents looked at each other.

"No, let's just say you're a person of interest to our office," one agent said, "Ms Parsons did some work for us before she suddenly disappeared not long after calling her contact saying she wanted to meet with him."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"Because she did tell our contact and another employee with Houston Enterprises before she disappeared that she was concerned about you."

Scott's eyes widened a bit and then he laughed.

"Well there you go then," he said, "I too was concerned about some irregularities I found in the finances."

"Really," the agent said, "what kind?"

"What does it matter," Scott asked.

"You tell us."

* * *

Matt looked at C.J.

"We better get a move on," he said.

She nodded, and started saying her goodbyes.

"Thanks so much for this," she said to each of her friends.

Matt's phone rang.

"This is Matt, Listen I don't have any time…"

It's Jonathon, I know you're in Houston."

Matt sighed.

"I thought I made it clear to you and your men that we're not coming in until you can guarantee C.J.'s safety."

"Listen I agree that our track record's not been the best so far," Jonathon said.

"It's not even been adequate."

"Okay, maybe I deserve that, but if you don't get federal protection, Duval is going to kill you to get to her."

"That's a chance we're going to have to take," Matt said, "If she returns to you, it's just about guaranteed Duval will find her."

"We've got more men," Jonathon said, "The AG's made the internal investigation of the Marshal's office his highest priority."

"Good for him to jump on the bandwagon so late that something's terribly wrong with his agency's recruitment practices," Matt said, "But it's not good enough."

"All we can do is try," Jonathon said.

"While we're having this chat, Jonathon," Matt said, "When can we expect an arrest warrant out on Duval or Scott Prescow?"

Jonathon paused.

"I thought so," Matt said, "Goodbye."

He clicked off his phone without looking back.

* * *

Jonathon looked at his phone, dismayed.

"He hung up on me."

"Are you surprised," Chad said, "The guy's a renegade. He's not coming in unless he's dragged in."

"He's always been like this where she's concerned," Jonathon said.

"What?"

Jonathon shook his head.

"Never mind," Jonathon said, "He must be in Texas but probably not for long. Then we're going to lose him and Ms Parsons again."

"Do you think they might leave the country?"

"It's certainly possible, it's not like Houston's broke. We might have to extend the APB internationally."

A man stuck his head in the doorway.

"They're at an airport just outside of Houston."

Both Jonathon and Chad looked at each other.

* * *

Matt and C.J. stepped up into the Lear jet and walked into the cockpit. Matt sat in the pilot's seat and checked his instruments. C.J. belted herself in the seat next to his. After a while, Matt started the engines.

"Are you ready?"

She nodded.

The plane taxied towards the runaway

* * *

Roy and Chris walked outside of the hanger and encountered some plain clothed men rushing into the hanger.

"Hold on there," Roy said, "You nearly knocked the lady over."

The men looked at the two of them.

"Have you seen a man and a woman around here?"

Roy looked at Chris.

"Are you sure it's not us?"

"Don't be smart," one of the agents said, "We're FBI and we're looking for Matt Houston and C.J. Parsons. We know they're here."

"Well, I think they took off in a grey sedan," Roy said, looking at his watch, "With this traffic, you'll never catch them."

One agent grimaced.

"I thought you G Men were interviewing Scott Prescow at the office," Roy said.

"We're done. Mr. Prescow is free to go but remains a person of interest to the Bureau."

"And what about my nephew and Parsons, are they "persons of interest"?

"Ms Parsons is supposed to be in the custody of the Marshal's office but never checked in."

"Maybe that's because one of their agents tried to put a bullet in my nephew and kidnap her."

The agent sighed.

"Look, we're just doing our job and Mr. Houston is making that a lot tougher than it has to be."

"It seems to me it's the feds who are making this situation really tough."

"Do you know where they are," the agent asked.

Roy smiled.

"You just missed a great party."

* * *

The plane lifted off and headed towards the Gulf of Mexico. After reaching cruising altitude, Houston put the plane on autopilot and C.J. went to boot up the computer with the disk that Julia had left for her.

"What do you think's on it," she asked.

"I don't know," Matt said, "Hopefully something that will help us decide what to do next."

C.J. slipped the disk into the computer and watched it come up on the monitor. What she saw made her eyes widen. Matt noticed her silence and looked over at her.

"What is it?"

"I 'm not sure, but I think what's on this disk will change everything."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29.. Another chapter. Hope you like it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

One month later…

The lone woman ran along the beach, dressed in sweats and close to the water's edge as she did every morning at this time. Her hair tied back in a ponytail and sweat glistened on her brow as she pushed through the resistance of the damp sand with each foot fall.

The waves drifted on and off the shore as the sun moved upward from its own sea of pink haze resting on the horizon. Several boats shrunk in size as they pushed out to begin a day's worth of fishing. The sunlight still glowed soft in the early dawn but promised a record day's heat by early afternoon as the island remained gripped in a heat wave that drove most of the residents to take siestas for a portion of the afternoon only to resume life after the sun set. A typical ritual in the summer months but not as routine during the winter.

C.J. stopped and bent over to catch her breath, wiping her face with her arm. She didn't mind the heat at all, having come from a wintry climate of blizzards and sleet. Matt had been right, she did find the weather at her latest home away from home more to her liking than where she had left.

They had arrived on the island, one of many tossed like pebbles in the middle of the Caribbean about a month ago. Their plane landed at an isolated airstrip where a group of men and women, dressed in fatigues and worn jeans awaited them. C.J. had guessed when deplaning that they were mercenaries but she learned since that day she was only half right. When she first saw them, she didn't know whether they were going to greet Matt and her or shoot them and was relieved when she saw them gather around and embrace him like an old friend. Matt had introduced her to his friends and they had welcomed her into their fold since without asking any questions. Which suited her just fine because she didn't want to answer any.

During the past month, she had learned how gracious and welcoming they were while living and working alongside them in a small encampment just several miles down a windy road from what served as a small village on the island. When these men and women weren't off traveling the world on assignments, they fished the oceans off the coast of their island and several others nearby. They owned several boats that they climbed aboard early each morning, carrying their meals with them and that they returned on after the sun had set. C.J. ventured out most days with them, spending most of her time repairing nets and cleaning equipment. She had always liked the sea, whether it lay smooth and clear near the horizon or swirled up in opaque waves at its bow as they headed back to shore. During the past several weeks with the island being blanketed by heat more reminiscent of summer, they spent more time after hours talking outside under the light of the pale moon. That was when they strategized about how to set her free and get her home.

She looked at her watch and started running again back to the encampment. The crews for the boats would be heading to the docks soon and she still had to get ready for the new day out at sea.

* * *

"Are you ready to go, mate?"

Matt looked up from the table where he sat at Brady, a tall hulk of a man with biceps decorated with tattoos. A gentle giant, though he didn't look like one at first sight. Brady had spent years working as a bodyguard, mercenary and other jobs around the world and on many occasions had teamed up with one of Matt's oldest friends, Too-Mean who had been killed a while back during a rescue operation. When Brady and Matt spent time together, they traded stories about Too-Mean and his wicked sense of humor which brought him to life again if for a little while.

"I'm about ready as I'll ever be," Matt said, finishing up his stew, "The very first time you told me you were a fisherman, somehow I had a much different picture than this.

Brady laughed.

"I've been spending my days on boats since I was back in the mother country," he said, "I caught my first great fish when I was barely old enough to walk."

"My daddy took me out fishing when I was that old but we stuck to rivers and streams."

"Never were out on the open ocean," Brady said, "Damn shame. She's a beauty when she wants to be."

C.J. jogged up to the table and sat down.

"How many boats are out there today," she asked.

Brady cocked his head.

"Half a dozen maybe," he said, "Some old timers said that it wasn't a day for a great catch. But what do they know?"

"The sea looks pretty good," she said, "I'll be ready to go in a few minutes."

She took off for the bungalow and both men looked at her.

"She's got a lot of energy in the mornings," Brady said, "It takes a couple mugs of Bertha's mud to get me up and going."

"I heard that," a woman said.

Matt and Brady saw a middle-aged woman dressed in jeans and a pea-green shirt approaching them with coffee.

"Bertha, you know we all love you even if you need to go easy with the axle grease."

She shrugged.

"That's how my mama taught me to brew it and she raised three strapping sons and a daughter before she passed on."

"So Bertha, are you on the crew today?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd keep an eye on what you call fishing so you actually bring home a load that can be used for more than an appetizer dish this time."

Brady looked hurt, but beneath it, a hint of a smile.

"You do hit a man where it hurts," Brady said.

Bertha ignored him and looked at Matt.

"So did C.J. get back from her run?"

Matt nodded.

"She does a lot of that running," Bertha said, "Every morning and then a full day on the fishing boat then at night. She's got more energy than I had at her age, always on the go but she doesn't talk much."

"Is this usual for her," Brady asked.

"No," Matt said.

* * *

C.J. brushed out her hair which curled after her shower as it dried in the warmth of the sun streaming through her window. She had changed into jeans and a khaki tee-shirt and tied her light jacket around her waist. Her face had tanned from her days spent out at sea, which caused the silver scars around her eyebrows to become more prominent. She had trimmed her hair in front to hide them.

"You'll never escape from here," he told her as she sat by the table in the conference room and looked at him, "You're here as long as I decide to keep you here."

"Why are you doing this," she said, watching him as he paced the room, "It's clear that you weren't really interested in Houston's company."

"That was to get to you," he said, "You owe me."

"What," she said, looking up at him, "What are you talking about?"

"We made a deal those years ago in Boston," he said, "Your friend never returned with my merchandise so I'm responding in kind."

"You can be serious," she said, "That was years ago."

"I think you'll find out just how serious I am."

Her heart began to pound and she sat on the bed for a minute. She had found out a lot of things besides that, the least of which that the man who had stolen from Andre had also stolen from her, something much more valuable.

She pulled her hair back and braided it and placed her worn baseball cap on her head and after one last look, left the dwelling to join the others.

* * *

Chris sat in her office at Houston Enterprises located in downtown Houston talking on the phone for the umpteenth time that day.

"Will my dress be ready by tonight," she asked, "Okay, I'll send someone to pick it up by 4…Thank you."

She hung up the phone and looked down at the pile of papers on her desk.

Rhonda poked her head in her office.

"Am I disturbing you," she asked.

"No come in," Chris said, "I need a break from Murray's latest stack of tax files."

"I heard Dan's home from the hospital," she said, "That's great."

Chris smiled back at her friend, placing some of the files aside in a smaller, more orderly pile.

"Yeah, he's been home a week," Chris said, "Pacing the house like a caged tiger but the doctor gave him strict orders to take it easy for a while."

"Who will stay with him tonight?"

"A neighbor will be dropping by while we're out with some homemade pizza and plenty of beer to watch the Oilers play. That will keep him happy for a while"

"So you ready for tonight?"

"Yeah, Murray's going to pick me up."

Rhonda's eyes widened.

"Murray?"

Chris sighed.

"I couldn't get another date to this shindig and he understands it's not a real date."

"Jonathon's already explained that over and over to me," Rhonda said, "Still he's kind of cute in an uptight executive kind of way…like Murray."

Chris laughed.

"Jonathon's not bad to look at," she said, "Of course I never look."

"I do," Rhonda said, "It will be interesting anyway to see how the other half lives."

"We just need a cover to get in and look around for anything that might help tell us more about Duval and his role in C.J.'s kidnapping," she said, "The party's going to be at an estate owned by a diplomat's family."

"I heard the place is pretty huge and really fancy," she said, "Lots of famous people attending this party."

"Better camouflage for us," Chris said, "It's actually for a really good cause. Women's health."

Rhonda snorted.

"How ironic," she said, "from a creep like him."

"I doubt it's to salve a guilty conscience," Chris said, "More like a cover for his other activities involving women and girls that he doesn't want anyone to know about."

"Hiding in plain sight," Rhonda said, nodding, "Have you heard from Matt or C.J.?"

"Not for a while," Chris said, "Matt said they had to be very careful about getting in touch with us. But from what he said, they're both doing okay."

"Jonathon is so angry with Matt for what he did," Rhonda said, shaking her head.

Chris folded her arms.

"Well, if there's one thing about Matt that he should know by now, he's not about to let anyone he cares about get hurt. That's the kind of man he is and Jonathon's going to have to live with that."

"I didn't know that he and C.J. were an item once," Rhonda said, "I think he still really cares for her."

"I know that, Rhonda," Chris said, "It's just that C.J.'s been through so much already and barely escaped from two kidnapping attempts in 24 hours while in federal custody which doesn't inspire much confidence in Jonathon's division."

"Yeah, I guess his boss in D.C. promised to clean out the office of any more rogue agents."

Chris laughed.

"A bit late for that," she said, "Better late than never I suppose but he sure has his work cut out for him."

* * *

Jonathon hated wearing tuxedos nearly as much as he hated attending fancy fundraising events where celebrities hobnobbed with one another and talked about nothing. Still, he knew that if he wanted to get a closer look at the Andrico Duval behind his façade as a renowned importer and consulate representative, he needed to attend events like this one tonight.

"You going to dress up in one of those things," Brad said, sticking his head in Jonathon's office where the suit lay draped over a chair.

Jonathon grimaced.

"The invitation says Black Tie," he said.

"So you really think this Andrico Duval is using his charity event for women as a front for what he really does?"

"I don't know," Jonathon said, "but I need to start somewhere and everything seems to point towards Duval being a separate branch from the rest of his terrorist family tree."

"But you think he's involved in something illegal?"

"I know it and Matt Houston for all his faults, knows it and I'm pretty sure that C.J. knows it better than both of us."

"So what do we do then?"

"Keep a discreet eye on Duval and wait for any slip ups," Jonathon said, "and keep up the search for Houston and Parsons."

"No one's seen them boss," Brad said, "Wherever they are, it's definitely under the radar."

"That's not surprising considering how much money and properties Houston has," Jonathon said, "I think he's worth the gross national product of some small countries which means he could hide anywhere."

"No doubt. That will make him nearly impossible to find," Brad said.

"For now, we'll focus our attention on Duval," Jonathon said, "If he has any creaks in his armor, I tend to find out what some of them are tonight."

* * *

C.J. sat on the boat, under the mid-day sun, enjoying its warmth on her skin. She had spent the morning untangling some net that had been dragged up the previous day with angry snarls. Inch by inch, she loosened the wire from each knot, deftly separating threads with her fingers and unraveled more of the net. Bertha had helped the men with the bait for the lines and dragging the catch in. C.J. could hear her hearty laughter from the other end of the boat as she joked with the crew and she smiled.

"Hey, can I join you for a moment?"

She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun and saw Matt.

"Sure," she said, putting the net aside, "I need a break anyway."

"You've been awfully quiet this morning," he said.

"I've just been doing some thinking," she said.

" 'bout what?"

"How beautiful it is here," she said, "The ocean, the island, everything and it's so peaceful."

He smiled.

"I think that's exactly what you need right now."

She shrugged.

"Sometimes I almost feel like my self again," she said, "like I know who I am."

"And the other times?"

She frowned.

"I can't talk about that," she said, "It's nothing against you, it's me."

He sat down next to her.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm trying to think through some choices I made," C.J. said, "Not that I really had any choice in the matter but that doesn't make it any easier."

"C.J., It doesn't matter what you did or think you did, I will always be there for you," Matt said, "and I always regret that I wasn't there when you needed me."

"That wasn't your fault," she said, "You did what you needed to do. There's nothing wrong about that. Things happen whether we want them to or not. It means a lot that you are here with me now."

He looked at her sitting there, her face hidden behind her cap and knew there were scars more visible there than the ones inside her out of his reach.

"I'm glad we're together too," he said, "making up for some lost time."

"Are you going to that get together at the village brouhaha tomorrow night?"

"I was thinking about it," he said, "You going?"

"I thought I might for a little while," she said, with a smile, "Just to see who shows up of course."

* * *

"Hi, this is Chris."

"Chris, it's Roy," he said, "I stopped by to pick up the flowers."

"You mean…okay, I got you."

"We're ready to launch this plan," Roy said, "I and Hoyt will be out in the truck."

"Hoyt, how did he get his wife to agree to him moonlighting?"

"His inlaws flew in for a visit last week," Roy said, "He was looking for any reason to get out of the house."

Chris laughed.

"It will be good to see him again."

"How does Dan feel about all this?"

Chris grew serious.

"He's not thrilled but he knows why I'm doing this," she said, "He's going to loan us some of his best men."

"That should help," Roy said, "This is strictly recognizance, no action."

Chris nodded.

"I hope there's something there that will help Matt and C.J."

"It's probably a long shot but we could get lucky."

* * *

They lunched on the boat which had set anchor just as they always did under the mid-day sun. Stew made of island fruits and vegetables whipped together with the previous day's catch. Bertha put out some pitchers of guava juice which induced groans from the men who had hoped to break the heat wave with some cold brewsky.

"No complaining," Bertha said, "Guavas are much better for you. The beers will still be waiting on shore when you're done."

Reluctantly the men lined up one by one to fill their glasses with the juice. The expressions on their faces made C.J. laugh.

Matt looked at her, enjoying her laughter as he always did. As he hadn't much opportunity to do so lately.

"Laughing at men when they're down, Ms Parsons?"

She shook her head, but kept laughing.

"She's right," C.J. said, "There's plenty of beer on dry land once work is done."

"And you're a strong fan of guava juice?"

She shrugged.

"It's not bad," she said, "And it enhances your appreciation for the beer that's waiting on shore."

"You have a point," Matt conceded, "All right, pour me a glass of that there juice."

He took a cautious sip which caused C.J. to burst out laughing again.

"It tastes a bit like cactus juice," he said.

Brady walked by and slapped Matt on the arm and both turned to watch the woman busting up with laughter.

"That's why we're not charging our going rate for this gig," he said, "We're just like you. We want to bring the sunlight back in her soul again."

* * *

Jonathon took the phone call from the agent.

"Yes?"

"Federal Agent Simon Denton," the man said.

Jonathon groaned, thinking about how much Denton and the other FBI agents had become a fixture in his most recent assignment in Houston lately. No matter whether he was at home in the D.C. headquarters or at one of the regional offices, one or more of them in their matching dark suits were always there in his shadow. Some times he considered them just one step above the internal affairs agents in his own division.

"What do you need Denton?"

"We learned that you're attending a fundraiser being held by Andrico Duval in Houston."

"You heard right," Jonathon said, "What took you so long? You G-Men are losing your touch."

"What type of operation is this and who authorized it?"

"My office did because it's very committed to women health issues and all the contributions all go to worthy charities."

"And that's why you're attending the event," Denton said, raising one brow.

"I would think that's important reason enough," Jonathon said, "I thought your office was going to report back on the status of Scott Prescow. Do you have anything on him yet?"

"No, not linking him to any crimes," Denton said, "He's denied any connection to Duval repeatedly and even if he's connected to the guy, that's by itself is not a crime."

"Duval is not who he appears to be," Jonathon said, "His own flesh and blood said he's been involved in some serious criminal activity including trafficking for years."

"His own family consists of hit men and terrorists who are in prisons around the world," Denton said, "Not exactly stellar witnesses."

"Forensics did tie several explosives back to that family and like you said, they're all in jail except for Duval."

"And…"

"So if that's the case, then who's been blowing up these explosives during the past few months if not Duval?"

Denton had no answer.

* * *

Chris signed as she hung up the phone again that day. Business buzzed even when her mind remained elsewhere. Matt's absence did little to abate his company's activity.

Someone knocked on her door. She looked up and saw Murray standing there in one of his suits that probably belonged to a closet full of identical suits at home.

"Are you busy?"

"No Murray, come right in, how can I help you?"

Relieved, he walked in and sat in an adjoining chair as if he were exhausted.

"I finally picked out a black tuxedo, but wasn't sure if I should use a regular tie or a clip on bow tie."

"Whatever is easiest for you, no one's going to know the difference."

He sighed.

"You see that was my thought precisely but I thought I'd ask for a second opinion before I took the plunge and committed myself to a regular tie when a clip on tie would work just as well and then I gave it another thought…"

Chris held up her hand.

"Murray, take it easy," she said, "It's just a gala. The point is to show up and have a great time and to donate money to a worthy cause."

He brightened.

"You're very right, Chris and I've heard the catering is going to be the best in town and as far as charities, could you pick one more worthy than women's health? Of course, they could be a bit more specific about what kind of women's health. Is it for women's health in general or any disease which exclusively strikes women, in particular. The invite didn't provide much specific information about which category the charity fell under…"

Chris coughed.

"Murray, I believe it's for women's health in general."

"I feel better knowing that," Murray said, "Okay, so I show up at your house and pick you up an hour before it starts so we can get there in plenty of time for valet parking. They will have valet parking won't they? If not, will they shuttle guests to the location from the parking venue? Of course if we leave later, we might miss the appetizers and a chance to mingle and network before the main event even with ample parking close to the venue…"

Chris watched him and sighed. The evening which promised to be a long one had already begun.

* * *

C.J. stood on the bow of the boat, her favorite spot as it headed back home, the sun setting ahead. She breathed in the air, and closed her eyes as the sun remembering a similar day in the past.

"C.J. did you see the dolphins?"

She smiled back at the young man and nodded.

"Very impressive," she said, "They say it's a local pod that's been here for years guiding the boats through the currents to safety like dolphins do in all the world's oceans."

"It's a nice day for sailing," Matt said, "My father's really enjoying himself."

"He looks better since he's been out of the hospital."

Matt's father had suffered a minor heart attack during one of his board meetings. He left the hospital several weeks later, a bit paler and thinner with a list of instructions the doctor had given him to follow. He tossed the list when he got home and was back at work the next day despite Matt's protests.

"C.J.," he started.

She turned around and looked at him.

"Yes?"

He hesitated.

"I'm sorry about Jonathon," he said, "I know you really love him."

She smiled wistfully.

"Sometimes love's not enough you know," she said, "He's more into this new career he has with the Department of Justice than a relationship anyway."

"If you ask me, he's crazy choosing his career instead of you."

She pursed her brow.

"I can't blame him," she said, "I'm not really much different. I mean I love my job with Houston Enterprises. I love L.A. and I've got friends here especially you. So I can't begrudge Jonathon going for the brass ring. The timing's just not right"

He smiled and took her hand.

"He's still wrong."

She looked at him for a moment.

"Thank you for that," she said.

"For what?"

"For being my best friend in the whole world."

He drew her into an embrace.

* * *

The boat neared its dock on the shore, and while several men secured it, C.J. and Bertha began hauling the catch of the day from the storage holds.

"Not bad," Bertha said, approvingly.

"Not bad," Kyle, a spark plug of a man with red hair said shaking his head, "It's the best haul this week."

"Like I just said, not bad."

Matt and C.J. began carrying the fish with the other men to the outdoor freezers, packing it away in the frigid room, which was in sharp contrast to the heat outside.

* * *

The cars including several limousines pulled into the circular drive in front of the large mansion surrounded by a mixture of greenery and iron rod fencing. Chris sat inside one of the cars while her date, Murray sweated behind the wheel.

"This is taking about 47 minutes and 30 seconds of waiting time so far," he said, "I wonder who's in charge of the parking."

"We've got plenty of time Murray," she said, "We left for the party early."

He nodded.

"You're absolutely right," he said, "I have to say, I'm a bit nervous. I don't go to many of these soirees."

"Neither do I Murray," Chris said, looking at the splendor ahead, "And certainly not at places like this."

"Do you think the others are already here?"

Chris looked at her watch.

"Maybe, I called Rhonda just before Jonathon came and picked her up."

Murray smiled.

"They make an attractive couple, don't you think," Murray said, "Odd but attractive."

Chris smiled as they inched up to the house.

* * *

Jonathon and Rhonda sat quietly in a car which was closer to the mansion.

"You look different in a tux," she said, "Not in a bad way either."

Jonathon gripped the steering wheel.

"I always keep one handy for these types of assignments."

"Like James Bond?"

Jonathon laughed.

"Actually more like Nick Charles."

Rhonda raised her brows.

"Oh, a _Thin Man_ series fan," she said, "Who would have thought?"

"Why is that surprising," he asked.

"No, not surprising. I love old movies too," she said, reaching into her compact for her lip stick," Tell me, is there a Nora?"

Jonathon stepped on the brakes nearly colliding with the limousine in front of him.

* * *

Roy sat with Hoyt in a nearby catering truck, adjusting some audio equipment. Carlos sat on the ground tinkering with a console.

"Is it working?"

Carlos stuck his head up.

"We've got to synchronize it to separate different…flowers and jewelry being worn by the subjects."

"We don't have much time left," Roy said, "Did Fran get in?"

"Yeah, she's part of the catering crew," Carlos said, "Hopefully her year as a short order cook will work in a more refined environment.

Roy looked at his watch.

"The guests should be arriving now."

* * *

C.J. washed the vegetables while Bertha sliced them and dropped them in the simmering pot on the stove.

"You like to cook?"

C.J. laughed.

"I like it fine," she said, "Until lately, I never had the time."

"Time does move a lot more slowly here," Bertha said, "The work they do is fast-paced and this place provides a respite from all that…and other things."

C.J. looked at her.

"Yeah it does."

Brady came in.

"There's a big scrimmage going on outside," he said, "Come out and watch."

Bertha and C.J. looked at each other.

"Come on C.J.," Bertha said, "This can wait. We've got to stop those overgrown boys before they damage more landscape."

* * *

Chris and Murray stood in the doorway waiting in the receiving line.

"Oh look, there's Jonathon and Rhonda behind us," she said.

Murray tugged on his tie for the 10th time since they stood in this line.

"Relax Murray, this is going to be fun, you'll see."

"I know," he said, "That's what I keep telling myself."

Finally in front of them, a tall man with a muscular yet lean frame which filled out his tuxedo stood before them with jet black hair and piercing eyes. Several other men stood just behind him. He extended his hand to Chris. Her eye caught his ring, with a cobra's head on it on one of his fingers.

"Hello, I'm Andrico Duvall and I would like to extend my welcome to my party."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

* * *

Chris recoiled inwardly as she shook hands with Duval but kept a smile on her face.

"Such a beautiful woman," he said, "There's cocktails and hors d'oeuvres inside."

Murray smiled broadly after being greeted by Duval.

"A polished young man, isn't he," he said, "Obviously well-educated, Ivy League you think?"

Chris made a face and reached for a glass of wine from a tray that was carried by a hostess.

"Good vintage," Murray said, taking a sip from his glass.

Chris looked around and saw some of Houston's most distinguished and wealthiest families, several well-known film and television celebrities and politicians, including one senator milling around the luxurious room.

"Is that the governor over there?"

Chris followed Murray's glance and saw an older man with salt-and-pepper hair chatting with a film actress.

"Looks like it," she said, "He's a big supporter of women's issues up in Austin."

Jonathon and Rhonda walked up to them.

"There you are," Rhonda said, "It took forever to get in here and then there's Andrico Duval standing at the front door like he doesn't have this whole other life."

Chris grimaced.

"Shaking his hand made my skin crawl," she said.

"You two need to put your mutual dislike society aside and remember, we're here to learn more about that side of the man if we can," Jonathon said, "I think we need to start mingling."

"It looks like Murray's already doing that," Rhonda said.

They looked at the accountant who was surrounded by three attractive women, two of whom Chris had seen posing on covers of _Marie Claire, Cosmo_ and other women's magazines.

Rhonda took some stuffed olives off of one of the circulating trays and sampled them.

"Not bad," she said, "Do you think Andre will figure out why we're here."

"We're here because the women's center received an invitation to attend," Chris said, sipping her glass, "It would seem stranger if we had declined."

"So what are we looking for anyway," Rhonda said, looking around at the guests which packed the room.

"I'm not sure, but we need to keep our eyes and ears open and see what happens," Chris said.

"And be ready for anything," Jonathon said, before leaving them.

* * *

They sat around an open fire on the beach, listening to the waves crashing in the distance. Stars blanketed the night sky and the moon had cast its shadow on the sea in a trail leading to the horizon.

"It's really beautiful, tonight," C.J. said, "I can see why you liked it here so much."

"I did a lot of thinking on quiet nights like this," Matt said, "Sometimes I'd take a boat out to sea right beneath the moon and the stars. I always felt better when I returned to land."

"Was this where you decided to come home?"

He looked at her and nodded.

"I realized that running away was keeping me from finding out who I was and what I really wanted. If you take the time to just stop for a minute, the answers will catch up to you."

C.J. picked up a stick and drew on the sand with it.

"Do you think I'm running?"

He paused, watching her.

"Yes, sometimes and I'm not used to seeing you like that. Are you?"

She shrugged.

"Maybe," she said, "The part of me that escaped."

She stood up and started walking on the beach, her hands in the pocket of her jacket. He got up too, wondering if she was aware of what she was doing.

"What part, C.J., you're here."

She shook her head.

"It's hard to explain in a way that you'd understand," she said, "I have trouble understanding myself."

"Did it have to do with changing your identity?"

"Partly but it's more than that. When I escaped from where I was held, I didn't think I make it out," she said, "When I jumped in that river, I was so sure I was going to die and at that moment, I didn't even care…"

She ran her hand through her hair.

"And then I broke through the current just at the point where I thought I'd pass out and breathed in the air and it felt so good. At that moment, everything changed and I really wanted to live again."

Tears threatened and she brushed them away.

"So what did you do then?"

"I traveled downstream a mile or so. The water was freezing but that was good because it numbed me. I climbed out after hiding in the grassy area near the river bank for a while to make sure no one was coming."

"Jonathon said you were hurt," Matt said, wishing he could wrap her up in his arms and comfort her then remembering why he couldn't.

"I broke my wrist and cut myself on some glass while escaping," she said, "I had gotten sick as well and needed medication. Jonathon showed up just when I was running out of time."

"Did they ever find the place you'd been?"

"Eventually, but it was in ruins and had been deserted for a while," she said, "No one was there to be found."

* * *

Jonathon looked across the room and saw him. Scott Prescow stood next to two men who worked in the oil business.

"Scott, interesting place to bump into you," he said, after walking to join them.

"I was just about to get another drink," Scott said holding up his gin and tonic, "Can I refresh your glass?"

"I'm fine," Jonathon said.

"I see you're sticking to club soda and lime," Scott said, "Are you working tonight?"

Jonathon shrugged.

"Aren't men like us always on the clock?"

Scott laughed.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said to the businessmen and walked to the bar with Jonathon.

"So Scott, why are you here?"

"The same reason you're presumably here," he said, "I strongly support charities which benefit and help women."

"That's really funny, Mr. Prescow considering the circumstances," Jonathon said.

"I'm not joking and you're certainly not laughing. I've always been a strong supporter of women in all endeavors."

"Let's talk about one woman in particular," Jonathon said, "How do you think C.J. fared while being held captive by a man like Duval?"

"Why are you asking me," Scott said, "How would I know?"

"Maybe because you stiffed him while working for him in some illicit business back in law school," he said, "You know I never liked you. I just never explained to you why I don't."

"And why is that," Scott said, holding up his hands in defense, "I'm just curious."

"Because you stole from a drug dealer, ran out on him and you risked the lives of women who were supposedly friends of yours including your own girlfriend," Jonathon said.

"Who told you that," Scott asked.

"No one did. I was right there locked in the basement with your girlfriend after some friends of your boss set the building on fire and left us in there to die," Jonathon said, "That's why I find your comments about valuing the female gender so meaningless."

"That had nothing to do with me," Scott said.

"Yes it did and I'll find out the truth about who set up C.J. in that FBI investigation and it's going to have your name on it."

"I believe this conversation has ended," Scott said.

Jonathon grabbed his arm as he tried to walk away.

"You're wrong. It's not ended. You may have a good tailor but you're still just a punk," Jonathon said, "And I'm going to put your ass away as soon as I can"

Scott turned around to face him.

"You can't threaten me."

"That's a promise," Jonathon said, "I joined up with the feds to put garbage like Duval and you behind bars. And as much as I disagree with Matt Houston's tactics, if they ever prosecute him for punching your lights out, I'll testify as his character witness."

"Are you finished?"

"For now," Jonathon said, "Now run along and tell Duval we just had this conversation."

Jonathon let him go and walked away, leaving a nonplussed Scott in his wake. Rhonda walked up to Jonathon.

"What was that about," she asked.

"Nothing. Just getting another drink."

She smiled and took his arm.

"Come on, the hosts are getting ready to make some speeches."

* * *

Chris reapplied her lip stick inside a bathroom, sharing the mirror space with other women doing the same thing.

A tall woman in an elegant black evening dress stood next to her and talked to a blonde who resembled an actress who starred on a popular sitcom.

"Do you think he's single," the actress asked.

"He's handsome and wealthy enough to have his pick of any women or a group of them if that's his thing."

"I've love to be one of them," the actress said with a sigh.

"He's got estates and chalets all around the world," the other woman said, "He's the CEO of an importing company."

"Oh that's nice," the actress said, "What does he import?"

Chris stuck a Certs in her mouth then nearly inhaled it when she realized who they were talking about.

"I'm not sure," the other woman said, "It must be very lucrative considering all the money he has."

"Does he come from a good family," the actress said, "Duval, sounds French. Royalty perhaps?"

Chris coughed. Both women suddenly looked at her.

"Frog in my throat," she explained.

"Do you need some water," the actress asked.

"I'm fine thanks," Chris said, then went against her better judgment, "Excuse me, but do either of you know this gentleman who's hosting this party?"

Both women looked at her.

"I mean, he might be great looking and rich but that's not necessarily a great indication of his character."

"Who are you," the actress said, crossing her arms.

"Just a woman who's been burned by guys who weren't what they appeared to be passing along a little friendly advice," Chris said.

"We didn't ask for any advice from an Ivana Trump wannabe," the taller woman said. They took one more baleful look at her and walked out of the bathroom.

Chris shook her head and sighed, a part of her wishing she was back home kicking back and watching football with Dan leaving this recognizance work and relationship counseling up to the professionals.

* * *

Rhonda and Jonathon stood with the others listening to Duval speak about how his charity foundation for women had raised millions of dollars to put into women's health programs all over the world. Murray had left his new friends to join them for the announcement of the new endowment.

"Can you believe this," Rhonda said.

"Shhhh," Murray whispered from just behind her, "I want to hear this. What a noteworthy endeavor he's taken on with his foundation."

Rhonda rolled her eyes. Jonathon clenched his jaw.

"Hey, what did you tell Scott anyway," Rhonda said, "I thought for a second there you were going to haul off and punch him like Matt did."

"You misread the situation," Jonathon said, "We're just having a friendly chat."

"Yeah right," she said, rolling her eyes again, "You know, during that split second when it looked like you were going to hit him, I almost liked you."

Jonathon frowned.

"Evidence is what's going to nail Scott in the end," he said, "Not a punch in the jaw."

"When's that going to be?"

"These operations take a lot of time," Jonathon said, "And a hell of a lot of painstaking work before we can even think about making an arrest."

"Gotcha."

"Any mistakes we make from acting too rashly can come back and haunt us later," Jonathon said, "I don't want that to happen this time."

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm not trying to pressure you to go and arrest the guy but it's difficult to watch him and Andre having a good time at a party while C.J. and Matt are out there somewhere and can't come home."

"They can always return and we'll place C.J. back into protected custody."

She folded her arms.

"You know what I mean," she said.

He nodded slowly.

"I think I do," he said, "If there was a way to hurry this process on to its conclusion without compromising it, I would do it. But there's no other way. We have to be patient."

* * *

Matt sat in the veranda outside the main house, looking at some maps. Bertha watched him working for a moment and then sat in a nearby chair.

"You plan to do that until day break?"

He looked up at her and smiled.

"I just remember something that Marquis Duval, Sr. told me once,' he said, "Even when the cavalry had shown up and his fortress was blowing up around him, he was still defiant and believed he and his cause would prevail."

"This guy, he's Andre Duval's father, right?"

Matt nodded.

"Duval told me that there were always uncharted islands around the world where he could start over. He did that at least once when everyone thought he'd been killed."

She picked up a map.

"So you're trying to find out if he gave any land to his son when he went to prison?"

"The island where he held C.J. at while I freed his son was north of this one, closer to the Bahamas," he said, "I wonder how many islands here are actually uncharted."

Bertha shrugged.

"Quite a few I imagine," she said, "Lots of pirates and mercenaries in the old days set up their operations on a number of islands in these parts."

"So it's possible that we could be in Duval's backyard?"

"Maybe…" she said, "Does this new urgency have to do with C.J.?"

He looked at her surprised.

"You think she's doing worse since she's come here," Bertha said, "Or do you think she's done worse since you found her?"

He was quiet a moment.

"Maybe both," he said.

"Matt, for what it's worth, I don't think it's that she's worse," Bertha said, "I think that for the past six months she had been fighting each day just to survive in a world that was forced on her so she pushed all her memories down somewhere so they wouldn't jeopardize her safety or yours."

He looked at her.

"And now, her security's not an immediate threat so she feels safer here," he said.

Bertha nodded.

"That's a very good place for her to be right now," she said, "But the downside is that often that causes those feelings buried deep down to start surfacing."

"That makes sense," he said nodding, "I went through that myself some years back after I left the military and when I was kidnapped several years ago. If it weren't for my family and friends especially C.J., I don't think I would have made it through either time."

"She seems to care very much about you. That makes all the difference."

Matt smiled.

"She has her way of going up to each fence you put up and knocking it right down but I don't think I have that skill. I need to get through to her that it's okay to share those feelings and talk about what happened to her."

"You will, in your own way in your own time," Bertha said, "You just have to recognize when that moment comes and you will know what to do."

* * *

Chris took a wrong turn from the bathroom and wandered through a hallway. Soon after walking past the same bathroom twice, she realized she was lost.

"Damn, I can't believe I'm lost inside a house," she said, looking for someone who could direct her back to the party.

She rounded a corner and nearly bumped into a woman.

"Hey Chris, is that you," the woman said, "I didn't recognize you in such a fancy getup."

Chris laughed.

"Funny," she said, "How's the catering lifestyle treating you?"

Fran grimaced.

"My back and feet are sore," she said, "Carlos is going to have to do double time with massaging these knots out tonight."

"We've been in the front," Chris said, "If Duval has any secrets, they're not on display tonight at his gala."

"He didn't get this far without being very careful and very discreet with his illegal activities."

"I don't know, he's coming on awfully strong with this oh-so-genuine concern about the plight of women," Chris said.

"Disgusting is it," Fran said, "At least he doesn't spend much time in the kitchen or I'd slug him."

"I think people believe what he's selling," Chris said, "These two women in the bathroom seemed to want more from him than that."

"He's a very careful man, Chris, there's a reason why he's still out there doing these horrible things to people."

"Then maybe he'll never get busted," Chris said, "And we'll never see C.J. again."

"He's going to slip up," Fran said, "If not now, the next time. We're going to get this guy and bring him down."

The women turned hearing voices in the distance.

"I'd better get back to the kitchen," she said, "Good luck, and see you later."

* * *

Jonathon and Rhonda stood by the bar and noticed that Scott had hooked himself up with more businessmen, this time from the finance sector.

"I wonder what he's up to," Rhonda said.

"Probably killing time until Duval gives him more marching orders."

"You really think he's still working for him," Rhonda said, "You think he'd be lying low after the FBI interrogation."

Jonathon shook his head.

"He's not nearly as smart as he thinks he is," he said, "And I think if he left the organization at this point, Duval would kill him."

"Yeah you're right. He probably knows too much at this point."

"That's how the Duvals have eliminated or tried to kill off any witnesses to their activities in the past including those who worked for them."

"Too bad Andre hasn't done that already with Scott."

Jonathon looked around the room.

"Where's Chris?"

"I think she took a powder," Rhonda said, "But that was a while ago."

"I'd better go look for her," Jonathon said, "Stay here."

* * *

Chris sighed and turned another corner and this time she did collide with a young woman with dark hair worn up above her neck and wearing an elegant black dress. She had seen her earlier that evening mingling among the guests.

"Oh!"

"Excuse me, Miss," the woman said, eyes down, "I wasn't watching where I was going."

Chris put a hand on her arm.

"It's my fault," she said, "I walked out of the restroom and immediately got lost in this huge house."

The woman nodded.

"Yes, I know," she said, "I've been here several times and I still can't find my way."

Chris narrowed her eyes as she looked at the attractive young woman, towards the necklace that she wore. Something about it struck her as being familiar.

"What are you looking at," the woman asked.

"That necklace, it's really pretty," Chris said, "I have a friend who has one just like it. Are those emeralds?"

"I think so," the woman said, "It was a gift."

"It's very exquisite; can I get a closer look?"

The woman nodded and Chris took hold of it for a closer look.

"It's exactly the same design," she said, "I'll have to tell my friend her piece wasn't as custom made as she thought."

"Your friend, who is she? Is she here at the party?"

Chris shook her head.

"She's a lawyer I worked with…work with. "

The woman looked at her, puzzled.

"Excuse me, may I assist you with anything?"

Chris turned around and looked right at Andre who had approached them.

"No…" she said, "I was lost in this wonderful place and she was giving me directions."

"That's just like Elena to help those in distress."

Elena looked at both Andre and Chris, her face flushed.

"So I take a right at the next hallway and I'll be back at the party," Chris said looking at Elena.

Andre smiled.

"Take a left and then another left," he said.

Chris nodded and then started to walk away, but Andre grabbed her arm.

"I'll walk back with you," he said, "And we can get to know each other a little better."

"What do you mean," she asked.

"I am thinking of contributing to the Houston Enterprises foundation for women and would like to find more about it. You're on the board, correct?"

"Yes, along with other individuals."

"Perhaps we can set up a meeting sometime to discuss your plans and how we can help each other."

Suddenly Murray rushed up to them.

"There you are," he said, "I thought I would have to send out a search party to find you. Oh, I see you've been found by the host himself. That speech you gave Mr. Duval was so inspirational and very informative. I had no idea that there were so many issues faced by women on a global scale."

"Yes, it's very difficult to be a woman in today's world," Andre said, "Every bit that we can do to help."

"Excuse me, I need to get some air," Chris said, "Nice to meet you…Elena?"

"Yes," she said, looking at Andre.

"She's been working for me for several years now," Andre said, "One of my most efficient assistants."

Chris nodded.

"Murray, maybe we'd better get back to the party."

He nodded and linked his arm in hers and they walked away. For once, she didn't mind.

"Thanks for rescuing me," she said.

He looked confused.

"Rescue? From such an outstanding benefactor who's helped so many women?"

"Someday, Murray you and I are going to have to have a talk."

"We talk at least once a day every day," Murray said, "Sometimes twice."

It took passing several hallways and listening to Murray's monologue before Chris' heartbeat fell back to normal.

* * *

C.J. lay in bed, trying to sleep. Even with the windows open to allow the sea breeze in, heat still layered the room. She revisited her conversation with Matt even as she tried to put it out of her mind but ound her mind wandering.

"So you're taking off just like that," C.J. said, to Matt who was packing his bags inside his beach house.

Matt nodded.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and Elizabeth."

"Me too," he said, "But she was right about me."

C.J. grabbed his arm.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean?"

"That I'm married to my work and that she couldn't ever compete with that," he said, "I tried to tell her that wasn't true, how much I loved her but she left anyway."

"Maybe she just needed more from you than you could give her but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you."

He went to his closet.

"Maybe it is the job," Matt said, "I've had fiancées die. I've had others leave for the same reason as Elizabeth."

"So have I," C.J. said, "And it's very difficult to live with, but that's part of life for anyone. Being in relationships with people means possibly getting your heart broken and it doesn't matter what you do for a living."

He paused.

"Maybe…," he said, "But I need to get away for a while."

She nodded.

"Okay, do what you need to do," she said, "But come back when you're done."

"I don't know when that will be," he said, "I just know that I need to go."

"I guess that will have to do," she said, blinking tears away, "We'll take care of things here until you decide what you're going to do."

He cupped her face his hand.

"Thank you," he said, "What did you want to tell me? You sounded anxious on the phone."

"I… It's not important," she said, "It can wait or it will resolve itself by the time you get back."

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"C.J…."

She turned to face him and then something changed.

Suddenly, she found herself back in the river, powerless to push against the current as it dragged her and then pushed her downstream. The picture of him in her mind faded, as her head clouded from not being able to breathe. She felt her body hit the craggy rock on one side of the river and then she felt herself drawn back into its middle. Her body suddenly felt lighter, her mind fuzzy and filled with light.

No!

Something inside of her ordered, and somehow she pushed herself up with her last bit of strength to break through the surface of the white water. Her memories that flooded her mind, in the last moments of her life proved stronger than the feeling only moments earlier that accepted death. She breathed in the pine scent in the air, tasted algae and dirt in her mouth and knew she had returned.

She started swimming with the tide down-river, weakly at first and then more powerfully.

* * *

Jonathon sipped his third club soda and water waiting by the bar when he saw Chris and Murray approach him.

"I was looking all over…" he started.

"I'm sorry Jonathon," Chris said, "I got lost for a while and couldn't find my way back."

He nodded.

"It looks like this idea to use this gala for recognizance purposes was a bust," Jonathon said, "Andre was the perfect host, the perfect gentlemen and philanthropic donor for women's causes."

"I ran into him in the hallway and he told me he wanted to meet with the Houston Enterprises Women's Foundation board to see if we could work together."

"I think he's just trying to find out who knows where C.J.'s hiding out," he said, "So tomorrow it's back to square one."

"Not quite," Chris said.

Jonathon looked up at her.

"While I was lost, I met a young woman who works closely with Andre," Chris said.

"So," Jonathon said, "What happened?"

"She was wearing a necklace set with emeralds that looked like a necklace that was given by Matt to C.J. a while back," Chris said.

"Maybe it's the same brand and make," Jonathon said, "What's unusual about that?"

"The necklace was custom made," Chris said, "I don't think there are any exactly like it."

"So if she's wearing it," Jonathon said, "You think that she must have crossed paths with C.J. at some point."

Chris nodded.

"Exactly," she said, "If Andre is such a great businessman and philanthropic gentleman, what is the necklace belonging to C.J. doing around his assistant's neck?"


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Here's the latest installment of my fan fiction story! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Jonathon said, shaking his head.

"I know it's crazy," Chris said, "But I really think she's wearing C.J.'s necklace."

"How would she get it?"

"I don't know but somehow she did," Chris said.

"I think Chris is right," Rhonda said, "We need to talk to this woman."

Jonathon put up his hand.

"Now hold on, we need to be careful about this."

"We will be," Chris said, "But we need to find out what she knows and she's in this house somewhere."

"We can't look for her here," Jonathon said, "We could be putting her at risk."

"Jonathon's right about that," Rhonda said, "We talked earlier about Andre's tendency to kill people who cross him."

"Maybe there's another way," Chris said, "But right now, that necklace is the only definitive link between C.J. and Andre."

"Okay…we need to come up with a plan," Jonathon said, looking around the room.

* * *

C.J. sat up in her bed and then putting on a robe, walked out onto the front steps. She found Matt sitting there.

"You still up," she said, sitting down.

"I was looking at some maps for a while," Matt said, "It's taking me some time to unwind."

"Me too," she said, "I've been doing some thinking."

"About what?"

She shrugged.

"That conversation we had earlier on the beach got me thinking back to that night in the river," she said.

"I hope what I said didn't bring back any bad memories."

"No, it just made me remember something I'd forgotten," she said, "about what happened when I was in the river."

"You said you thought you were going to drown but you didn't."

She nodded.

"I really think I wouldn't make it. The water ran so cold and so fast. I couldn't breathe at all and these images started going through my head. You know, they say that when you're about to die, your life flashes in front of you."

"I've experienced that, a couple of times."

"But for me, it wasn't a montage of different life events, it was that conversation that we had before you took off."

"Oh…that."

C.J. narrowed her eyes at him.

"Does it really bother you?"

Matt sighed.

"It bothers me that I feel that you were trying to tell me about Scott and I didn't give you a chance."

"It wasn't the right time to say anything about it," she said, "I realized that when I got to your house."

"I wish I could change how I acted that night," he said, "Maybe things would have turned out differently."

"All of it?"

He paused.

"Not everything," he said, "But I could have listened better to what you were trying to tell me even before that night."

"You were getting ready to get married to the woman you loved," she said, "That's where your focus needed to be."

* * *

Rhonda and Chris waited for Jonathon to return but didn't see him. Suddenly, Chris looked towards the doorway leading into a study and saw the woman standing by the door looking at the guests.

"I'll be back," she said to Rhonda, "Tell Jonathon I went to the bathroom."

Rhonda saw the woman.

"Is that her?"

Chris nodded, then walked towards her after pushing herself through the still packed room.

"Excuse me, Elena," she said, when she reached the doorway.

Elena looked up at her and confusion lit her face.

"Are you lost again," she said.

"No, I just wanted to thank you for helping me and to tell you how impressed I am with this event."

"I didn't have much to do with it," Elena said, "I'm not a planner. I'm just an assistant for the senor."

"What kind of work do you do?"

Elena cocked her head.

"Why do you wish to know that?"

"I thought maybe you'd be interested in doing some work with the foundation I work with," Chris said, "Since Mr. Duval has expressed an interest in forming a mutually beneficial partnership."

She relaxed.

"I started out doing domestic work with the senor," Elena said, "Now I'm doing more clerical work at a desk."

"Your accent…"

"Oh that, I'm from Ecuador originally," she said, "I came to the United States when I was very young. There are so many wonderful things here."

Chris nodded.

"How old are you," she asked.

"I'm almost 18," Elena said, "But I've been working most of my life."

"What about school?"

"I don't need to go to school," she said, "I have a job which provides for me everything I need."

"My friend…the lawyer…"

"You mean the woman with the necklace like mine," Elena said.

"Yes, she was gone for a while," Chris said, "And when she came back, I don't remember seeing her necklace."

Elena grew flustered and fidgeted with the necklace with her hand.

"I don't know what you are saying," she said, "Do you think I took it from her?"

"Oh no of course not," Chris said, "Nothing like that. I was just curious where you found yours. The man who gave it to my friend had it custom made by a jeweler."

"I'm not a thief," Elena said, "I don't care for your implication that I stole what someone gave me."

"Who gave it to you?"

"I…" Elena looked around and saw Andre coming.

So did Chris. She reached into her purse and pulled out a card.

"Here, this is my card," she said, "If you want to talk to me about anything, foundation work or anything else, my number's on the bottom."

Elena hesitated, then took it and tucked it in her own purse.

"Elena, you're needed up front," Andre said, frowning, "The guests are starting to leave."

"I'm sorry senor," she said, "I'll be right there."

After she left, Andre looked at Chris.

"You seem very interested in my Elena," he said.

"She seems very smart, for such a young woman," Chris said, "We could certainly use skills like hers at the foundation if she's interested and has any time."

"That won't be possible," he said, "Elena will be leaving the country tomorrow to go back to corporate headquarters."

"Oh that's a shame," Chris said, "We could use some younger women with her type of energy and intelligence."

"Yes she has both, we're very happy with her work," Andre said, "Now if you'll excuse me."

* * *

"I shouldn't have been that busy," Matt said, "to forget that other things were going on around me besides my wedding."

She cocked her head.

"Houston, when you fall for a woman, you give it everything you've got," she said, "What's wrong with that?"

He grew thoughtful.

"Yeah I do, don't I," he said, "Most of the time."

"Sometimes I wish I was more like that," C.J. said, "Rather than being so cautious, that I would jump in with both of my feet."

Matt smiled.

"Doesn't always work," he said, "Sometimes it pays to be more careful."

"Maybe," she said, "Not that it matters anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because something can happen just like that that can take it all away from you," she said, "Even what you loved most."

She stood up and walked back inside the bungalow.

* * *

Jonathon bumped into Chris.

"There you are," he said, "This party's winding down and it's a late night. It's time to go home and to have an early meet up with Hoyt and Roy at the corporate offices tomorrow. "

They began walking back into the main party room, where the crowd had thinned out.

"I talked to Elena, or at least I tried to," Chris said, "She got nervous when I started talking about C.J.'s necklace."

Jonathon set his jaw.

"Chris, you have to be careful how you deal with her," he said, "How do you know she's not going to tell Andre everything you said?"

Chris shook her head.

"I don't think so, Jonathon," she said, "Elena's very young but there's something about her that makes me think she's got her own mind."

He sighed.

"That might be Chris," he said, "But she's with Andre .C.J. is a very strong woman and she wasn't when we found her."

Rhonda walked up to them tailed by Murray.

"I found your date," she said.

"Yes she did," Murray said, "I was out admiring the flowers in the atrium, all the different species and lost track of the time. You see, my hobby when I'm not working is horticulture and I myself have tried to cultivate some of the same species of flora as Mr. Duval but my skills are obviously lacking."

"We can talk about it on the way home," Chris said.

Rhonda turned to Jonathon.

"We'd better get going," she said, "I promised you'd be home by curfew."

The four of them left the mansion and the party.

* * *

C.J. tossed and turned in her bed.

"What are you doing here," she said, to the man who entered her room. She had been sitting on the bed for a while trying to figure out how to face another day rather than just waiting for the next night.

Semour Piser stood by the doorway.

"You're not looking your usual self this morning," he said, "Rough night?"

She raised her chin and forced a smile.

"No more than usual," she said, "And yourself? You enjoy being Andre's lap dog?"

He stiffened slightly but adjusted his collar.

"I'd rather be in my position than yours," Piser said, "I've come a long way from Bannon County."

"Not really," she said, "You're still a pimp, aren't you and you still answer to him."

"He couldn't get as far as he did without my connections," Piser said, "He needs me."

"No, he controls you and when he doesn't need you, he'll kill you."

He hesitated slightly, adjusting his collar.

"A better fate than what awaits you and this time there's no one to rescue you."

Elena walked into the room with a tray of food and looked at both of them.

"Excuse me Miss," she said, "Your breakfast."

C.J. stared at Piser.

"I'm finished here," he said.

Piser walked out of the room. Elena set the tray down on the table and C.J. got off the bed to sit at the table.

"I don't like him," Elena said.

"I don't either," C.J. said, "The food smells good."

Elena raised her brows.

"You're eating today?"

C.J. nodded and picked up a piece of toast.

"That is good," Elena said, "You must be feeling better."

C.J. looked away, knowing that she had to find a way to escape because she knew Piser was right about what awaited her.

The crickets chirped inside the room and suddenly she found herself sitting on the step again, with the scent of fresh blooms surrounding her.

"Can I join you," a man said.

She looked up and smiled at Matt.

"Sure," she said, "I've been waiting for you."

He sat down and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. She loved his embrace, the scent of the after shave that he wore.

"I'm sorry about Julia," he said, "I didn't know her as well as you did but she was a good, kind-hearted woman."

C.J. smiled through her tears.

"She always liked you," she said, "She considered you a rare kind of man who wasn't afraid of his feelings."

"I don't know about that," he said, then looked at her carefully, "What's going on here?"

She furrowed her brow.

"I have something to tell you and I don't know how."

"What do you mean," he said, "You know you can tell me anything."

"I don't think so this time," she said, "Something happened and I can't undo it."

"What," he asked, "What could be so wrong that you couldn't tell me?"

Then the room darkened and she sat alone, her back against a cold wall. Andre paced in front of her, his shoes clicking against the floor. She tried to open her eyes wider but her lids felt like weights were attached to them. The room spun around her.

"Make sure she's in the most secured room," he said, "I'll deal with her later. Your money's in the usual place."

She followed his voice, trying to turn her head. Wincing, she touched her forehead where she had struck it when she passed out.

"I'm sorry about that, but my men tell me you were most uncooperative," a face said in front of her with a voice that struck a familiar chord in her mind. "That won't do you any good here."

"Who are you," she asked, "I recognize your voice."

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, "we're going to spend a lot of time together."

He left her alone inside the room where the darkness smothered her like a coffin. Listening, she could hear water rushing in the distance and then she drifted away down the river again.

* * *

She woke up, gasping for air and looked around the room for a way out, before she remembered where she was. The door flung open and Matt came running in dressed in his sweats and a tee-shirt.

"He's here," she said.

"Who's here," he asked, looking around.

She ran her hand through her hair and looked around.

"I must have been dreaming."

"Yeah I'd say so, C.J.," Matt said, "I heard you yelling. Thought somebody broke in here."

"I'm sorry I woke you up," she said, pushing up her pillow and leaning against it. He sat on the edge of the bed.

" There's nothing to be sorry about," he said, "I've had bad dreams myself but you've been having a lot of them."

She nodded.

"What have you been dreaming about?"

She paused, looking at the concern clouding his eyes.

"They don't always start out bad," she said, "This one did but then I was in this nice place where I spend a lot of time in my dreams that feels good. You were there and we were talking. Then I was in a room with Andre when his men first brought me there."

"After they kidnapped you."

"Yeah," she said, "They ambushed me and knocked me out. I woke up inside this dark room and I felt very dizzy and couldn't see well. All I remember is hearing a voice that reminded me of someone only I didn't know who. And then I saw him and I thought I knew but he wouldn't tell me. Said I'd find out soon enough and I did."

She placed her face in her hands.

"I dream all these things even in the daytime," she said, "And I can't make any sense of it or stop it."

"You're tired," he said, "You're not sleeping well and I think these memories are slipping through because you're letting your guard down a bit."

She shook her head.

"I can't do that," she said, "I can't afford to do that."

"You need to do that and this place is good for that because you're safe here," Matt said, "But you also need to get some sleep."

"You're right," she said, pulling the light covers back over her.

Matt got up to sit in a nearby chair.

"I'll sit right here until you fall asleep, okay?"

Her eyes were already closed.

* * *

Chris sat up in her bed back in Houston. Dan stirred beside her.

"What's the matter," he said.

She turned to look at him and frowned.

"I know that it sounds crazy but that necklace that woman wore belongs to C.J.," she said, "Only I know how much it meant to her and she'd never take it off and lose it."

"Maybe she didn't have a choice. I don't think she had a lot of those after her abduction."

"There was nothing at that party that remotely indicated that Andre's an international trafficker in people or that he kidnapped a woman and held her captive for weeks," Chris said, "Nothing at all. I mean, he was raising funds for women's charities."

"The perfect cover," Dan said, "Hiding in plain sight."

"Exactly."

* * *

The morning sun splashed the window and woke C.J. up. Matt still slept in his chair, legs stretched out. She didn't want to wake him.

She got up and dressed to go running on the beach. Lacing her shoes, she thought about last night and closed her eyes for a moment before getting up and leaving the bungalow.

The sun shone brightly over the coast and a few clouds dotted the sky. Birds flew over the waves which crashed onto the shore. She breathed in the crisp air which would soon enough be saturated by heat, as she picked up her pace with each stride. The scenery sped by and a thought struck her. Was she running every morning or was she running away?

Matt had asked her that question, carefully to spare her feelings but she knew it was a fair one. Last night, she responded the best way she knew how while keeping her secrets. She felt split in half, and the part of her often felt like running. The other part remained trapped with Andre. She knew both sides of her drove her running during the day and haunted her at night.

She remembered back how Matt had been after the kidnapping. He had reappeared out of nowhere having lost 30 days of his life. Old enemies of his had brainwashed him, convincing him that he strangled a young woman to death and dumped her body in a deep hole. He had spent weeks trying to piece together the lost fragments of his life. Memories that never really existed but had been planted, mixed with the trauma of his experience. She had tried her best to confront his doubts, fill holes in his memory but he just couldn't shake the belief in him that his history of killing only in self-defense may have caused him to cross the line towards murdering an innocent person. She knew he was innocent, but he didn't.

Now she knew what it had been like for him to have to grapple with memories he couldn't face. She realized now why she hadn't been able to penetrate his fear and doubts about himself and she realized that like she had been, he felt helpless to break through when it was happening to someone else.

* * *

Chris headed to the office where a stack of papers awaited her. Before she sat down, Murray rushed in with more paperwork.

"Murray what's all this," she said, picking up some papers.

"It's tax work."

"Why? April's months away."

Murray sighed, before sitting down in a chair.

"We might be facing an audit."

Chris laughed.

"Is that all," she said, "We've been audited more in the past six months than in the past six years."

"I know, and that's why I found it so puzzling that the feds want to audit the foundation."

She sat up straight.

"What!"

He nodded.

"Yeah, I thought would catch your attention. We received a phone call from the IRS and the FBI that now they want to inspect our books for monies being collected and distributed for the women's center and other projects."

"Why Murray," she said, "Both of these agencies just audited us after C.J. disappeared."

"I'm as mystified as you are on this one," he said, "The foundation has always been above and board with its finances."

"But the feds know that the suspicions for auditing Houston Enterprises were unfounded," Chris said, "They also know now why those suspicions were planted."

"So those men could kidnap C.J.," Murray said, quietly, "I still feel responsible for giving her that call, the one that led to her disappearance."

"Murray, it's not your fault," she said, "If it wasn't you, it would have been somebody else. It could have been me. C.J. couldn't tell us what she was doing for the feds so there wasn't any way to know that she was a target."

"I wish she were back," he said, "And Houston, is he coming back?"

Chris nodded.

"He's with C.J. and he'll be back when she can come home."

"Okay, then we'll keep the company from going under until they both return," Murray said, "In between audits."

Chris smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Then we'd better start looking through foundation records for the past five years."

* * *

Matt sat at a table with Kyle and Brady, who were diving enthusiastically into their fried bananas and fish stew.

"How's the work on the disk going," he asked.

Brady looked up.

"Serena's not called back on her progress on the encryption plus it's an older disk so some modifications had to be made on the system to open it," he said, "But she's still checking those organizations that you and C.J. saw on the home page."

Matt shook his head.

"We opened the disk and just saw a list of what looked like drug intervention and prevention programs," he said, "Not exactly what we expected."

"Didn't you say that this Duval character dealt in human trafficking," Kyle said.

"Yes, he does now," Matt said, "But the disk is almost eight to ten years old and his business interests might have been different back then."

"Like what? Something else?"

Matt nodded.

"C.J. mentioned that she thought that Scott's work with Duval was in the drug trade."

"If that's true," Kyle said, "Why is there a list of anti-drug organizations?"

"I have no idea but we're going to have to find out."

* * *

Elena brought in a tray of fruit and croissants for Andre who sat at his desk in his spacious office. He had been on the phone all morning, with his door closed so she had knocked and heard him asking her to come in. She walked past the elegant fireplace and Renoir and Picasso paintings which hung on the walls.

"I don't think that the buyers in Bangkok are going to pay any more than 200 grand…No don't drop it by 100 or they might think they can go lower. Everyone else' is in a recession except for us, remember that."

"Excuse me, Senor," she said.

He looked up and nodded.

She put the tray down and just stood there.

"Excuse me," he said on the phone, "What is it Elena?"

"I packed my things to go back," she said, "My plane leaves in eight hours."

"I talked to the pilot this morning and the weather looks good so you should be back at the compound by late tonight."

She nodded.

"I'll call you back later," Andre said to his caller and clicked the phone off, "Is something bothering you?"

"No…I just really enjoyed my time here. The gala last night," she said, smiling, "It was so exciting to be raising money to help women."

"I earmarked some of those funds for an organization in your country."

"Thank you, senor," Elena said, "That will really help the women there."

"Is there anything else?"

She hesitated.

"I know you've not been happy since she left," she said.

"Who," he said, then his face darkened, "Oh…she'll be coming back soon."

"I'm sorry, I feel responsible for her leaving," Elena said, "I should have been able to stop her."

"Elena, you were knocked out cold," Andre said, "It was Semour's fault for not seeing that coming. I left her in his charge."

"Why would she leave if you've been so good to her?"

He shook his head.

"Some women don't appreciate it when their station has been improved in life," he said, "But as I've said, she'll be back."

Elena bit her lip, then turned to go so he couldn't see her face. She stuck her hand in her pocket and felt the business card.

* * *

C.J. looked out at the ocean which shimmered like blue glass this morning. She stopped a moment to catch her breath.

"You run here often," she heard a voice say.

She spun around and saw a tall man with dark hair wearing a light jacket and warm up suit standing there. She backed away from him.

He held his hands up.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he said, "I just came to the island yesterday for some meetings and thought I'd check out the beach."

"What kind of business?"

"Security," he said, "A business contact told me that some wealthy businessmen were flocking to the islands out here to build estates. I thought I might drum up some business. I'm just starting out."

"Have we met before," C.J. asked eying him carefully, "You look familiar."

He shook his head.

"I'd remember if I met a woman as attractive as yourself," he said, sticking out his hand, "I'm Antonio Bujoid."

She hesitated then took his hand. He gripped her hand firmly.

"So why are you here…"

"I'm staying with some friends and working with their business," she said, "It was nice to meet you but I have to finish my run."

He nodded and she started jogging.

"Wait…" he said.

She kept going.

"What's your name…"

She didn't answer.

* * *

Chris and Dan headed into the restaurant where they met with the others. Rhonda had saved them a large table in the backroom. Roy and Hoyt had started eating so Chris and Dan sat down and waited for someone to take their order.

"I'm famished," Chris said, "I think I'll order about two specials."

"Not me," Rhonda said, patting her stomach, "I hit those Hors d' oeuvres trays hard last night."

Jonathon came in and sat down.

"Nice to see you make it," Rhonda said.

"Traffic," Jonathon said, "I think we should discuss how the operation went at the gala last night."

"We didn't pick up anything unusual in the surveillance truck," Roy said, sipping his orange juice. '

Fran and Carlos walked in.

"Sorry we're late," she said as they joined the others, "I woke up with sore feet and Carlos had to do his best to get them going."

"What happened in the kitchen Fran," Jonathon asked.

"Not much…the catering crew messed up the place. I don't think they've done to many large-scale gigs."

"What about any of you," Jonathon said.

Most of them shook their heads.

"Chris said she met this woman," Rhonda said, "Elena?"

"Yeah, I gave her my card," she said, "She works closely with Andre and she wore a necklace just like the one Matt gave to C.J."

"Really?" Fran said, as the others looked at each other.

"She'd never take it off unless she had to or someone else did," Chris said, "But this Elena seemed like a nice kid. And she's just a kid really."

"Did she say anything about where she got her necklace," Fran said.

"She said it was a gift," Chris said, "But I know it's C.J,'s. I just don't know what she's doing with it."

* * *

Andre picked up the phone in his office.

"Drake, this is Andre," he said, "Elena's getting ready to fly back to the compound tonight. See that she makes it to the airport safely…and don't let her out of your sight."

He clicked off his phone and reached into his desk drawer and picked up a photo of a woman with dark, curly hair dressed in a gown and wearing an emerald necklace just like the one on Elena's neck.

"Soon," he said, thoughtfully.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Latest installment. I hope you like it. Thanks very much for the input!

* * *

Matt and C.J. sat on the boat, eating lunch while watching Brady toss some of his bread to some of the birds that were flying above them.

"Lots of birds out today," he said.

"Yeah, wonder if that means that rain's coming."

"It'd be nice if it would break the heat wave for a while," Matt said.

"Speak for yourself," C.J. said, "I spent several months in a Colorado winter."

He paused.

"Do you miss L.A.?"

She looked at him and nodded.

"I miss the routine, not that we actually had one but running the agency and handling the different cases."

"Yeah, I miss the agency too."

"I miss my house, if it's still standing."

"Your neighbor with the Great Dane is taking care of it. Chris arranged that."

"I miss being a lawyer too," she said, "I loved it a lot."

"Were you happy with corporate law," Matt said, "When I read those letters I remembered how much you and Julia used to talk about setting up a law firm to help women who couldn't afford good lawyers."

She sighed.

"That kind of died when Julia got cancer."

"Are you still interested?"

She thought about it.

"Maybe, I'd try it at least part-time at first," she said, "I was actually thinking that if I ever get my life back, I might spend some time in Houston working with the women's foundation."

Matt raised his brows.

"We never hired an attorney for that foundation and you'd make an excellent one."

C.J. laughed.

"First I'd have to get my life back, then I can think about a career change."

"You will get it back C.J., you've got friends working hard back in Texas and we're making some inroads here."

"I know," she said, "I'm very thankful for that. So what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you considering any career changes," she said, "You mentioned that you did a lot of thinking when you were away."

He shrugged.

"I want to keep working with the agency," he said, "But I might think about taking it in a different direction," he said.

He paused.

"There's also another project I'm working on."

"Oh, like what?"

"I'm planning to keep it close to my chest, but when I'm ready to launch it, you'll be the first to know."

She nodded.

"Sounds intriguing."

Brady walked up to them.

"We're getting ready to haul in a big catch," he said, "Come on over."

The two of them got up and followed him to where the lines had been cast earlier.

* * *

Chris looked at her watch and placed another stack of papers on the table. The phone rang.

"Hi Dan," she said, "How's the day going?"

"I can't wait until I can go back to work," he said.

She laughed.

"If you're good and follow the doctor's orders that could be in a couple of weeks."

"I feel fine now," he said, "I was on the computer looking up some of the charities that were invited to the party last night. I wonder how many of them will actually see a dime from this fundraising."

"Andre Duval said the money would go through his foundation."

"I bet you that he's using it to launder what's coming in from his real line of business."

"There's nothing in writing that says the foundation has to donate all the money that flows into it," Chris said thoughtfully, "As long as that's disclosed up front I think."

"What a creep," Dan said, "Using women's organizations to clean up his ill-gotten gain."

"Maybe that's why our foundation's getting audited by the feds," she said, "Maybe we're not the only one."

"Audited? Weren't you already put through a series of audits?"

"That was the corporation months ago," Chris said, "Now it's the foundation. That's what Murray's roped me into doing right now."

"So maybe the feds are on to him," Dan said.

"Maybe, but it might just be an inquiry if anything irregular came up in the tax returns."

"Did you receive any contributions from any organization you didn't recognize?"

"Some," she said, "But except for a grant or two, a lot of the money was contributed when Matt decided to donate a sizable portion of this company's net profits to charity."

"Yeah, when his father died several years ago," Dan said.

Chris looked up and saw Fran standing in the doorway, with some takeout food."

"I got to go honey," Chris said, "I got to meet back with Murray in an hour with a full report on this morning's labors."

Fran walked in and sat in the chair, plopping several bags on Chris' desk.

"Mmm that smells like Orange Chicken."

"Actually, this is a new tangerine chicken dish," Fran said, "I thought I'd try it out."

Chris opened the bags and started pulling the entrees out.

"So did you find out where the remaining records for the foundation are?"

Fran nodded.

"Finally, they were misplaced in one of the storage rooms," Fran said, spooning out some broccoli and beef from the box.

"I can't figure out why they're auditing the foundation but we've got to be ready for it," Chris said, "And Murray said that has to be done by the end of the week."

"Plenty of time," Fran said, "I've got some meetings with some new program directors to attend so I won't be back with the rest of them until tomorrow."

"Dan's been on the 'net tracing Andre's foundation, trying to see if any of it's connected with any known charities."

Fran snorted.

"It makes me sick that he's hiding his illegal activities behind philanthropy," Andre said, "If he gets caught, he won't be the only one impacted by his actions."

"I know, he's going to make it harder for those who are really trying to help change women's lives."

"This is the most important work I've ever done in my life, Chris," Fran said, "I wish that organizations like ours had been around when I was younger."

"You've made such a tremendous impact on the foundation through your own hard work," Chris said, "We couldn't have done it without you or Rhonda, or C.J."

"I wanted something to come out good from the bad that went down in Bannon County," Fran said, "The first time I saw Rhonda, I tried to beat the crap out of her and C.J. for that matter but look at us now working together."

A man knocked on the door. They looked up.

"Oh look what the cat dragged in," Fran said.

Scott stayed in the doorway.

"Retract your claws. I'm here to talk to Chris about the audit."

"How'd you know we're being audited again," Chris said.

"I found out through Murray."

Fran folded her arms.

"Why were you at the gala last night?"

Scott shrugged.

"Chris, Rhonda and Murray all attended," Scott said, "There was no reason for me to stay home."

"Scott, I will talk about the audit after it's been completed," Chris said, "It's between Murray and me."

"Houston might disagree," Scott said, "He hired me for my accounting skills."

"He hired you as a favor," Chris said, "And the last run-in he had with you ended with him punching you and you landing on the floor.

"Yeah, weren't you going to press charges against him," Fran said.

"Water under the bridge," Scott said, "I decided to drop the matter. We've been friends for years."

Chris stared at him.

"I think when he finds out the truth about what happened to C.J. and your role in it, you probably won't be safe in the same room with him."

"What are you talking about," Scott said, "I didn't have anything to do with C.J.'s disappearance and her current situation."

"Cut the crap," Chris said, "And leave before I say anything we'll both regret."

"I don't work here," Fran said, "So I'll say it. I know that you were responsible for helping set C.J. up for whoever kidnapped her. I know what kind of guy Andre is despite that show he put on last night so I have some idea what he's capable of and when he finds out you're trying to play both sides, they'll be fishing you out of the Gulf of Mexico in pieces if they can find them."

Scott blanched a bit before smiling again.

"Are you finished with your soliloquy?"

Fran nodded.

"After all, look what happened to Semour Piser."

"They still don't know who killed him or if he even worked for Andre," Scott said.

"He probably crossed him," Fran said, "He clearly crossed someone."

"I don't know what any of this has to do with me."

"You're going to get what's coming to you one way or another," Fran said, "I just hope it's sooner rather than later."

"I guess I'd better leave both of you until you get your emotions under control."

Scott walked out of the room, but with his head bent.

"That put some fear into him," Chris said, "Way to go Fran."

* * *

C.J. brushed her hair in front of the mirror. Living close to the ocean put some curls into it that normally weren't there but she liked them. She wore some dress pants and a flowery blouse for a small party at the nearby village.

She had gone to several parties since coming to the island and enjoyed them. A few hours spent eating good food, listening to music and playing poker left her feeling better by the time she went back to her bungalow. Her mind wandered back to the man she had met on the beach that day. A nagging sense that she knew him had lingered never too far away all day but she had wracked her brain and couldn't think where the two of them could have met. She picked up some clips and pinned her hair back off of her face but left the bangs.

Someone knocked on the bungalow door. She walked to open it, slowly looking out to see who stood outside. Bertha walked in and looked around.

"This place looks nicer than it's looked in a while," she said, pointing at some figures which sat on the mantle.

"Houston helped," she said, "He likes working with driftwood and sea glass. He's done it since he was a child."

"You've known him that long?"

She nodded.

"We met in elementary school back in Texas."

"We're getting ready to go to the village," Bertha said, "Would you like to go with us?"

C.J. nodded.

"I'll just get a wrap in case it gets cooler later."

"Matt's ready and out with Brady and Kyle," Bertha said, "If we don't hurry, they'll start resuming that scrimmage from the other night and mess up their clothes."

"Houston's never forgotten his football days," C.J. laughed, "so he never passes up a chance to play."

"He sure gets along well with the crew," Bertha said, "And he's a hard worker but then Too-Mean always knew how to pick his friends."

"He was a great man and a good friend," C.J. said, "He gave his life to save Houston's."

Bertha paused.

"When Houston arrived, he'd wandered in here after stepping on a sting ray on the coast while he was traveling. He was delirious and had a rough couple of days but we've got strong medicine against the ray's poison and he was right as rain pretty quickly."

C.J. frowned.

"I didn't know he nearly died during the time he was gone," she said, "He never told me."

"He wouldn't, I don't think," Bertha said, "I don't think he likes to worry the people he cares about."

"No he doesn't."

"You're the same way I think," Bertha asked.

"Maybe," C.J. said, "Sometimes."

"I know he really cares for you in a very special way," Bertha said, "When he was here, he talked about you a lot. He felt badly about how he left things in L.A."

C.J. looked down.

"There's no reason to," she said, "I told him that just last night. Bad things happen and there's no way to know what's coming."

"That's true, but we need the ones we love to help get us through them when they do happen."

"It doesn't always work that way," C.J. said, "Some things, they're different. Talking about them doesn't change anything."

"No, but a lot of the times it does change the way we look at things," Bertha said, "It's just fear that keeps us from finding out."

C.J. paused.

"Are you more afraid of how he'll view you if you told him what happened to you or what he'll do when he finds out?"

"Both," C.J. said, "These men are very dangerous and ruthless and they won't hesitate to show that."

"But…"

C.J. looked away.

"If I tell him the truth, I don't think he's going to look at me the same way anymore. I don't want to look in his eyes and see it there. I did things I can't take back and things happened. Things I'm not sure he would understand. I don't understand them."

"Look, I can't tell you what to do," Bertha said, "But I've been down this road a time or two myself. What I've learned is that some things can't be kept inside for very long without destroying what makes us who we are. You're a young woman who's seen and experienced some horrible things but it's what you do now that determines how they define your life."

"What you say makes sense but it's very hard."

"I know, but you're strong and resilient and you'll do what you need to do like you did to survive," Bertha said, "Enough of the serious talk, we'd better get moving before they run out of food."

* * *

Elena sat in the lounge waiting for the pilot of the Lear Jet to come back and tell her it was time to board. She had packed everything except some work and a worn photo of a young man in a military uniform. She looked at it now, stroking the edges of the picture. He had been her age now when it had been taken before reporting back to active duty. She hadn't seen him since.

She frowned when she thought back to the events of the past two days. First, the young woman who had asked her about her necklace that had been given to her. Then Andre's response to her questions about C.J. She had hoped that Andre would have provided some answers to the doubts which ran through her mind, planted by her conversations with C.J. before she had escaped. Was Andre truly the way he presented himself to her as a congenial, polite employer or was he the monster that C.J. had described?

The woman at the party hadn't believed her words about not stealing the necklace and that she had been truthful when she said that it had been a gift. But her cheeks flushed when she realized that she had hidden part of the truth about whom the necklace had belonged to and why it was now in her possession.

She fingered the necklace and suddenly knew what she had to do.

* * *

Chris buried herself back in her work after eating lunch and tried to sort through the tax documents needed to provide to the federal agencies auditing the foundation.

Her phone rang.

"Murray, I am still..."

The voice that responded didn't belong to Murray.

"Hello?"

"Hello, this is Chris at Houston Enterprises, who am I speaking with?"

"This is Elena, from the party last night."

"Hi Elena, I didn't expect you to call."

"Did I call you at a bad time?"

"No, not at all," Chris said, "How can I help you?"

"I wasn't entirely truthful about what I told you about the necklace."

"That's okay Elena," she said, "I know it wasn't the best place to have that conversation. It just caught me by surprise when I saw you wearing it. I thought it belonged to my friend but I guess I was mistaken."

Elena paused.

"There was no mistake," she said, "The necklace does belong to your friend. As to how I got it, it's complicated."

"Okay, so what did you want to tell me?"

"I knew your friend when she was with the senor. I brought her food every day until the night she left. My uncle said she left because she didn't appreciate how well he treated her but I don't think that's true. She was very unhappy especially after the senor's visits."

"Elena, I don't know how much you know about your employer but she had reason to be."

"I only knew how he treated me and it's always been very…cordial," she said, "He's never treated me badly since I've been working for him."

"You're very lucky, Elena."

"I've got to go," she said, "My plane's scheduled to leave soon."

Chris heard the phone hang up.

* * *

C.J. and Bertha walked up to where the men were playing scrimmage in front of the main house.

"What did I say," she said, "They're already getting messed up."

The men stopped the game in mid-action when they saw the women. They brushed themselves off and smoothed back their hair, at least those who had any. C.J. stifled a laugh, being reminded of small children.

"That's better," Bertha said, "Now get a move on, we can't be late or we'll miss it when they deal the cards."

Matt looked at C.J.

"You look really pretty," he said.

She smiled.

"Thanks," she said, "I'm ready to have some fun and win some money."

When they reached the village, they saw people milling around the barbecues and tables filled with food. A group of men with guitars, drums and even a piano played music while people stood in groups and talked.

C.J. followed Matt to the tables and both piled their plates with the local fare, before sitting down on some nearby steps. She looked across and saw the man that she had encountered on the beach talking with several other men. Her brow knitted as she tried to remember where their paths had crossed before.

"C.J., what's wrong?"

She looked back at Matt who was watching her and shook her head.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, "I was just wondering who that guy was."

He followed her gaze and saw the man. Both watched as Brady went up to talk with him.

"Why's he doing that?"

"Maybe they know each other," Matt said, "I think they're getting ready to start the game without you."

C.J. took her plate and left him, walking towards a table in the back where a group of men and women sat and played cards. A pile of money lay in the middle of the table as well as some items of jewelry. She sat down.

"What's up," she asked.

"Five card stud," one man said, "One eyed jacks are wild."

"Deal me in."

* * *

Bertha walked up to Matt who watched the game.

"Looks like they've gotten started," she said.

"She's going to take them for everything they got," Matt said, "My uncle taught her everything she knows."

"She sure has fun with them."

"Yeah she does," Matt said, "You haven't seen that side of her very much but she's a woman who loves to have a good time."

"I can see that," Bertha said, "She's also a woman who cares very much about what you think about her. I'm not sure she's even aware how much."

Matt frowned.

"Did she tell you that?"

Bertha nodded.

"She thinks that your feelings will change towards her if you know the truth about what happened."

Matt grew silent, then looked at Bertha.

"I try to not to push her because I'm worried that whenever she sees me, I remind her of him," he said, "But that doesn't mean that my feelings have changed."

"I think part of it is that she's struggling with her own feelings about herself and what she's been through."

Matt nodded slowly.

Brady walked over.

"Matt, there's a guy I want you to meet," he said.

He hesitated, looking at Bertha.

"We'll finish this talk later," she said.

"Okay, let's go meet him."

* * *

"You have to tell Jonathon," Rhonda said.

Chris sipped her coffee. She had called Rhonda after Elena had hung up and they agreed to meet at a nearby coffee shop.

"I will," Chris said, "I wish there was some way to contact C.J. and ask her about Elena."

"She and Matt can't be contacted except in emergencies," Rhonda said, stirring her tea, "You know that."

"I know, but Elena knew more than she was telling."

"Probably," Rhonda said, "But considering her situation, she's got reason to keep some secrets."

"Andre never mistreated her," Chris said, "But she seemed to know that her situation was different."

"She's very young," Rhonda said, "Maybe the creep has some limits in his abuse of women."

"Maybe…"

* * *

Matt and Brady walked up to Antonio.

"This is Antonio Bujold," Brady said, "And Antonio, this is Matt Houston."

Antonio stuck out his hand and Matt shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Antonio said, "Brady was telling me all about you."

"He didn't have enough time to tell me very much about you."

Antonio smiled.

"I'm a security expert," he said, "I came to the islands to drum up some business. But I also have other skills I use on the side."

"Like what?"

"I served in the military for several years including military intelligence in South America," Antonio said, "Brady told me you have a similar background."

Matt looked at Brady.

"Yes I do," he said, "But it's been a while. I work in investigations now."

Antonio nodded.

"I can also break into any secured facility," he said.

"Brady, are we planning on breaking into any buildings?"

"Matt, we need to bring in people with expertise in different areas before we do any more planning."

"I know, but can we trust someone we barely know?"

"Mr. Houston, I am very discreet in all my business," Antonio said, "I spent years working security in an organization that relies on such discretion in ways many don't. I have more than enough skills to help you on whatever's necessary if you can meet my price."

"Okay, then what skills do you think we need?"

"You're after a man who's keeping you and a young woman friend from returning to your lives," Antonio said, "As long as he lives, you will never be free. So you're trying to locate him and his forces and find a way that he's vulnerable to attack."

"What did you tell him," Matt asked.

"Not all that much Matt," Brady said, "He's pretty observant isn't he?"

"Down right psychic," Matt said, "Okay if we agree to hire you, what's your price?"

"I'll meet with you tomorrow at your compound and we'll discuss that," Antonio said, "You won't be sorry."

"I hope not," Matt said to both men.

Antonio looked past him.

"Is that your woman friend," he asked, nodding to C.J. who was looking at them.

Matt nodded.

"And she was the one who can't go back home," Antonio said, "She's very beautiful."

"Yeah she is," Matt said, "So you'll be by tomorrow to discuss this further?"

"Tomorrow it will be."

* * *

C.J. had looked up from her poker hand and the pile of money next to her and saw Matt talking with Antonio and Brady across the square. She saw that they were discussing something, which filled her with unease.

"Are you going to fold?"

She looked up and tossed several bills in the pot.

Matt walked over to the game and sat in an empty chair.

"Do they have any money left?"

C.J. smiled.

"A few dollars here and there," she said.

He looked at her cards.

"Ouch," he said.

"Who was that gentleman?"

"Some guy named Antonio Bujold," Matt said, "He works security and has a military intelligence background."

"What's he doing here?"

She put down two cards and took two more.

"Looking for work," Matt said, "He might be the guy we're looking for to help us."

"Go after Andre," she said, "Is that what you mean?"

Matt nodded.

"He spent years working in a covert organization," he said, "That will definitely be useful."

"Do you think he can be trusted?"

"I don't know. That's the tricky part but we seems to know a lot about Andre's organization."

"That's not a good sign," she said, "Most of the people in that category work for him."

"But this guy's doesn't seem to be one of them." Matt said, "We're meeting with him tomorrow."

She nodded.

"Just be careful."

She called her cards and pulled another stack of money towards her.

* * *

Antonio walked back to his room that he had rented at the village from an elderly woman. He went to his suitcase and pulled out a folder filled with documents and photographs. He had studied it on the plane while flying to the island and knew most of its contents by heart.

He walked into the bathroom pulling off his shirt as he went and looked in the mirror where he had stuck the photo of a young girl smiling in the middle of a field in the corner. He pulled it out to look at it, on his arm the tattoo of a chimera.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Here's another installment. Hope you like it!

* * *

They walked back from the party after it wound down. C.J. left several hundred dollars richer and most of the fishermen walked away quite a bit poorer. Still, they invited her back next week. She had stashed her winnings in her belt, wondering how she would get a tax deduction off of the money when she filed her return.

If she lived long enough to file for income taxes, of course.

Matt looked at her as they continued down the dirt path.

"So what are you going to spend the money on?"

"It's going to pay for Mr. Bujold's fee if you hire him," she said.

"C.J., that's your money," Matt said, "You spend it how you want."

She shook her head.

"No I'm putting it in the collection plate for this venture," she said, "I'm part of this plan too and I intend to carry my own weight."

Matt nodded.

Brady walked up.

"I think Bujold might make a good addition to the team," Brady said, "We have several of our own people coming back from assignments but most of them are still out in the field."

"I'm hoping that he can help us pinpoint the location of Andre's base of operations," Matt said, "It could be right around here. His father ran an operation in this area right before he was put away."

"We need to find out if there's any deeds registered to the Duval name or any related alias," Brady said, "Officially or through the back door."

"He's got operations all over the world," C.J. said, "And he spends time at all of them."

"Must be a busy man," Brady said.

"He is," C.J. said, "Even when I was held captive, he was gone several times while I was there. Not that I minded. I'd be dead if he hadn't been called out on business that last time."

Matt looked at Brady.

"He could have a base in this region somewhere," Matt said, "If we could just find it."

* * *

"Chris, this Elena called you?"

Jonathon had joined them at the coffee shop after Chris had called him telling him that she wanted him to come down and meet.

"That's what she just told you," Rhonda said.

"What else did she say?"

"She said that she worked for Andre in the place he kept C.J. and saw her regularly when she was there, Chris said, "She didn't say how she got the necklace or who gave it to her."

"And then she got on a plane and flew off to parts unknown?"

Chris nodded.

"It's going to be difficult to do a follow up conversation with her then," he said.

"But not impossible."

"We still don't know about her loyalties to Andre," Jonathon said.

"I'm not sure she's all that loyal," Chris said, "She seemed to be genuinely concerned about C.J. "

"That might be Chris," Jonathon said, "But she still works for Andre so you have to be very careful where she's concerned."

"Well she's gone now," Chris said, "So your warning's a little late."

Jonathon sipped his coffee.

"I heard you're being audited."

"It's the foundation this time," she said, "We're not sure why. They went over the corporate books with a fine tooth comb."

"The feds told me that they're tracking a particular charity," Jonathon said, "Everyone who has any connection to it is being looked at."

"What charity?"

"It's a newer one that emerged in the past year," Jonathon said, "It addresses health care for sex workers in developing nations. The feds aren't sure it's legit and DHS is also concerned."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"You must be on the list as being connected with that particular charity," he said.

Chris put her head in her hand.

"I guess I'd better go back to the office, go over the books and call Murray again."

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked into the bungalow. She took off her wrap and put it on the sofa.

"C.J., are you really worried about this Bujold character," Matt said, "You barely spoke on the walk back."

"I've grown cautious about men I don't know just showing up," she said, "So far it hasn't worked out very well."

"I see your point," Matt said, "We're going to be very careful in our dealings with him and if you're not comfortable working with him, we won't hire him."

C.J. hedged.

"Houston, if he's really as skilled as he claims to me, can we afford not to hire him?"

Houston sat down on the couch.

"How you feel about all this is very important," Matt said, "At least to me."

She sat down beside him.

"I appreciate that," she said, "But I'm not sure whether I'm really suspicious of him or just everyone."

"It doesn't matter," he said, "if it's making you uncomfortable."

She stood up.

"Houston, every time I see a man, I'm uncomfortable," she said, "Even you and you've always been the one I feel the most comfortable with. I don't know how to trust myself around anyone."

"You can trust that I'm only trying to look out for you."

"Part of me knows that," C.J. said, "The other part of me's afraid."

"I don't know what to say most of the time either," he said, "All I know is that you're my best friend and you're always going to be that no matter what."

"There's so much I want to say," she said, "I just don't know how. Strange coming from a lawyer isn't it?"

"Not one who's been through what you have," he said.

She looked down.

"I want to feel things again the way I used to, but I feel numb inside. Like a part of me's died. "

"I felt like that for a while after I left the military," Matt said, "I did things in the service that I couldn't believe I would ever be capable of doing. But I wanted to survive and come back home to the people I loved. Sometimes the choices we have to make aren't fair."

"Yeah, I know about that," she said, "Andre made me choose once…"

"What?"

She shook her head.

"I can't talk about it," she said, "I know I've been saying that a lot but…"

"The day's going to come when you won't," Matt said, "But you're not there yet."

"I don't know if I'll ever be."

"I think you will," Matt said, "I think you'll find your words."

* * *

They sat in a diner, late at night talking as if they had been friends forever. And they had been, but had fallen out of touch the past several years when Matt had transferred to a military academy hundreds of miles away to finish out high school.

C.J. sipped her Coke.

"Did you really have to punch Duke out?"

Matt rubbed his hand.

"He deserved it."

"It's not like you to hit someone," she said.

"His attitude needed adjusting."

"Listen, I know what he was up to," she said, "I could have handled him myself. I'm not in junior high anymore."

"You shouldn't have to, C.J."

"That's part of life Houston. There are nice guys like you and then there are jerks like Duke."

"I heard him talking about this woman he was going out with," Matt said, "I didn't know it was you until I saw you."

"I know you meant well," C.J. said, "But dealing with Duke was something I needed to do for myself."

He paused.

"You're right," he said, "I'm sorry that I interfered,"

"It means a lot to me that you did," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "I'm glad we're all back together again."

"So Julia and Scott are back on?"

C.J. rolled her eyes.

"For now anyway," she said, "It's been awkward not having a boyfriend since Ethan and I broke up but relationships with guys are so complicated. I think I'll stick to academics."

Matt raised a brow.

"So you're giving up on all men?"

She laughed.

"No, I'm just setting my priorities with my very limited time," she said, "What about you and your social life?"

"I'd rather spend time with my best friend," he said, raising his glass.

She raised her own and they clinked them together.

* * *

Fran looked at the list of charities that had been printed out from the computer and her eyes narrowed.

"Chris, look at this," she said.

Chris looked over her shoulder.

"I've never heard of this one," she said, "Shepardess of the Night".

"Doesn't ring a bell with me either," Fran said, "But there's probably a lot of charitable organizations we're not familiar of particularly those based in other countries."

Chris jotted it down on her note pad.

"I'll have the internet whiz at home look it up for me."

"How's he doing by the way?"

Chris laughed.

"Bored silly out of his mind and wants to get back to work."

"That's great," Fran said, "then you'll have your house back."

"It's getting late," Chris said, "Why don't we head out and pick up where we left tomorrow?"

"I'm not arguing with that."

* * *

She had lain by herself in the darkened room for what felt like hours. The dizziness slowly faded and her vision cleared but she still saw nothing. Where was she? All she knew is that one moment she had been walking to her car and the next, she had been grabbed behind and felt a strong scent of chloroform smothering her face. She tried to fight back but they were much stronger. The outlines of two men standing over her blurred and then she felt movement inside a van traveling smoothly and then bouncing over a road.

"She still out?"

"Yeah, she slept during the entire plane flight."

"Who is she anyway?"

"Doesn't matter. The only thing that does is the paycheck we'll get if we deliver her alive and undamaged."

The rest of the conversation faded as she tried to stand again inside the room, but her legs still wobbled. Suddenly, the door opened and two more men in dark outfits walked in.

"Time to go," one of them said.

A stream of narrow light hit her eyes and she winced at the sudden brightness.

They picked up her up and as she stumbled to her feet, began leading her down a hallway. It grew longer with each step but finally they reached its end. One of them unlocked a door and pushed her inside of it into a small room which was furnished like a hotel room.

"Too bad she doesn't know what's waiting for her," one of them said.

"It's none of our business," the second one said.

C.J. looked suddenly at both of their faces, to see something familiar. The man who spoke first looked at her and shook his head so slightly she thought she had imagined it. After they left her, she sat on the floor as the room still spun around her. Then she heard the door open.

She woke up on the couch back in the bungalow and felt the softness of the light blanket lying on top of her. The room was quiet, except for the sounds of birds outside. Darkness still filled the living room area except for a pale stream of moonlight that shone through the window. She sat up and wrapped her arms around her chest. Her dreams took her places that she dared not go during daylight hours when she worked on the fishing boat or hung out with the crew afterward, times when she could almost forget.

She remembered remnants of her dream which had more or less replayed the early hours she had spent after being kidnapped by Andre's men. Closing her eyes, she lay back on the couch and tried to go back to sleep, to push the images out of her mind.

Matt walked in the door from the outside porch and saw her lying asleep on the couch. He had placed the blanket over her after she had drifted off then had sat and stroked the hair off of her face while listening to her breathing slow down. Unable to sleep himself, he had walked outside to sit for a while.

He knew that coming to the islands had done a lot to help keep her safe but like Bertha said, the trade off had been some of the memories she had buried, resurfacing. He remembered his own experiences growing up as a child who had been abducted for ransom and had spent hours and days afterward inside his room afraid to leave it.

Those memories had been reawakened during the ordeal following another kidnapping which had left him struggling to clear his name after he had been framed for murdering a young woman. During that time, C.J. had played a key role in his efforts to find the real killer. Not that it had been easy because his own confusion caused him to lash out at those around him but she hadn't given up. Even after taking a bullet round in the shoulder, she had put him first.

She stirred on the couch and he turned around and saw her head propped up on her hand looking at him, her hair messy with sleep.

"You're having trouble sleeping?"

He shook his head.

"No, I was thinking about the meeting with Bujold and whether or not he's going to be a good fit to the team."

"Houston, you can't spend every night worrying about this," C.J. said, "You need your sleep."

"I haven't been spending every night," he said.

"Most nights," she said, "My sleep's not been great either but how much have you had since Colorado?"

"Enough," he said.

"No, not enough," she said, "Don't feed me that line. You need to be well rested if we do anything that's going to be dangerous."

"I'll be fine," he said.

"Houston, you need to be on your toes with someone like Bujold."

His eyes narrowed.

"You almost sound like you know him."

"I don't know," she said, "There's something familiar about him. Maybe we've crossed paths in connection with some other case. Maybe in some other place and time."

"But you're concerned that it's been more recently than that."

She nodded slowly.

"Do you remember when or where?"

She shook her head.

"I just know I don't feel comfortable around him."

"You haven't spent any time around him," he said, "have you?"

She paused.

"I ran into him on the beach when I was running yesterday morning," she said, "I had stopped to take a breather and he was just standing there."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Just that he had come to the island looking for work for his security company," she said. "I asked him if we'd met and he didn't think so."

"But you think you have," he said.

"Maybe 'met' isn't the right word for it," C.J. said, "Maybe we weren't actually introduced."

* * *

Chris looked at a box of files on her desk which had been placed onto a stack of papers and asked herself not for the first time that morning if she had a life outside her office. Every half hour, Murray arrived in her office with another stack of papers and an apology. Fran sat going through a box of papers in her office, after having dropped by with more files but also some coffee from their favorite place.

"I think that Shepardess of the Night organization is on some of these records as well," Fran said, sifting through some documents, "Did Jonathon or any of the feds tell you which organization they flagged?"

Chris shook her head.

"We tracked most of the donations but it was a good year before the economic downturn," she said, "We got quite a bit of sponsorship for that fundraiser we held last year."

"I remember that," Fran said, "The costume ball where Murray went a little wild and nearly fell in the fountain."

Chris frowned.

"Here's another organization," she said, writing it down, "I'm giving them to Dan to look up but not much came back on the other one. On the surface, it looks legit."

"But something's not, if the feds are auditing anyone who's involved with it," Fran said, "It would have to be organized crime to get that kind of scrutiny."

"Or terrorism," Chris said, "And Andre Duval is tied to terrorists, including his father and half-brother. We know he used their explosives and from what Houston said, Andre's brother told him that their father had pretty much given him the reins of his organization."

"You're probably right," Fran said, "But Andre's branched out his business since he took over that organization."

"Which he's covering on several fronts with an above-the-board importing company and a charitable foundation which funds women's causes.

Fran made a face.

"Oh I hate this guy," she said.

"How do you think I felt when he told me he wanted to partner with our foundation?"

Fran sipped her coffee.

"Why don't you consider it," she said, then saw Chris' face, "No, not partnering with him but set up a meeting with him to discuss it."

Chris thought about it.

"That might almost work," she said, "We should run it by Jonathon."

"He'll veto it right off the bat," Fran said, "But maybe if we meet with Andre, we'll get lucky and he'll slip up."

"Fran, he's a very dangerous man," Chris said, "Look what happened to C.J."

"That's why we need to do this," Fran said, "A man taught me that while we were sitting in a jail cell together in a god awful backwater town waiting for some thug to come in and kill us. I was upset with him for talking me into sticking out my neck for someone else and he said to help a friend, he'd risk his life if that's what it takes. That has always stuck with me."

"That was Matt right?"

Fran nodded.

"When I first met him," she said, "I asked him not to let me down and he didn't. He said he was going to shut down Buntz and Peyser's prostitution ring and he did. Having one person stand up for you when you need it can change your entire life."

"I know," Chris said, "I've seen you put that into practice often enough."

"Then you understand why we need to do this."

Chris nodded.

"We'll run this past Rhonda and if she doesn't talk us both out of it, we'll come up with a plan."

* * *

Jonathon sat with Hoyt and Roy in a café eating breakfast and discussing the night of the party. A waitress interrupted them by placing three omelet plates in front of them and some orange juice.

"This is one large omelet," Hoyt said, as he dug his fork in, "But then this is Texas."

Roy turned to Jonathon.

"What's the latest on the investigation that will allow my nephew and C.J. to come home?"

"Several federal agencies are keeping a very close but very discreet eye on Andre."

"What does that mean exactly," Roy asked.

"They're looking at his business and foundation for cracks that they can use to justify a more aggressive approach," Jonathon said, then sighed, "Look I know he's bad news, you do and C.J. definitely does but we've got to prove it to a judge just to get any warrants through our prosecutor's office."

"You've got C.J. and her testimony," Hoyt said.

"We had C.J. who's currently missing in action with his nephew and she's not really given us that much information on what happened to her after she was abducted."

"My nephew told me that she had crossed paths with Andre before," Roy said, "And so have you."

Jonathon rubbed his eyes.

"That's true," he said, "C.J. and I actually met the night that Andre held us hostage to force your nephew's employee Scott Prescow to return something he had allegedly stolen."

"And the weasel didn't come back," Roy said, And you, C.J. and her friend Julia nearly ended up dead as a result."

"We got out," Jonathon said, "C.J. got us out of the basement where Andre's men had locked us up and we were able to escape."

"But you never reported it to the police?"

"I wanted to do that," Jonathon said, "C.J. and Julia said they wouldn't cooperate if I did."

"They were threatened with harm to their loved ones," Roy said, "including my nephew."

Jonathon nodded.

"Now you know why I really want to get this guy," Jonathon said, "But I have to do it by the book and Matt running off with C.J. like he did didn't help that situation."

"His priority was protecting C.J.," Roy said, "I trust my nephew's judgment. Wherever they are, they are safe."

"For now," Jonathon said, "But Andre will drop his nice guy who saves the world act and he will go after them to get her and I don't think you want to know what that'll mean."

"He's right, Roy," Hoyt said, "And he's deadly, much more so than he would have been during that earlier encounter."

"We're just going to have to make sure he doesn't get that chance," Roy said.

* * *

Matt sat with Brady and a tall, thin guy with a sharply pointed beard named Zeke for breakfast.

"So what time are we meeting with that guy?"

"Later this morning," Matt said, "We've got to handle him with kid gloves."

Brady cocked his head.

"You think he's not acting on the up and up?"

"I don't know," Matt said, "How much do we really know about him?"

Zeke shrugged.

"Not much, but his resume is very impressive for this line of work."

"I agree," Matt said, "I just want to make sure that we know exactly who we're dealing with."

* * *

C.J. ran along the beach, as she usually did while watching the boats out in the ocean come to life as the fishing crews set out for the day's catch. The sun wasn't quite as warm as it had been so maybe the unseasonably warm weather on the island was nearing its end. She breathed in the salty air, enjoying how it rejuvenated her even after nights of interrupted sleep.

She had drifted back to sleep and hopefully, Matt had as well. She knew that he hadn't gotten much rest since their reunion. Her nightmares had kept the both of them up and no matter how much he had reassured her that he was awake anyway, she felt badly. She knew about sleep deprivation throughout her life, from long study sessions in the law library at Harvard University to nights spent on stakeouts while working with Matt on investigations. Nights spent worrying when he had disappeared without a trace for over a month. And during her time spent being held captive by Andre. If it were possible then, she never would have slept at all. She spent her nights after Andre left trying to get to sleep if only to escape. But it only came back to her during nights he was away on business. She didn't even dream during those times.

Only during that last week when she planned her escape, did she make an effort to sleep during the day. Even shorter naps left her rejuvenated in preparation for the night she would leave it behind her.

The sand grew more packed as she headed towards the strip of beach where the edge of the rain forest threatened to take over. The scent of various species of flowers filled the air. She looked back at the ocean, counting the boats nearing the horizon. She didn't see what was in front of her until she nearly struck him.

Antonio stood in front of her dressed in shorts and a black muscle tee-shirt. She stopped running and looked at him.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't see you in front of me."

He smiled at her.

"It's okay," he said, "I was out running myself. I like to get it out of the way before it gets too hot."

"I do it because I enjoy it," C.J. said.

"It's good to see you doing something you enjoy C.J.," he said.

She looked up at him sharply.

"I don't think I ever told you my name," she said.

"You must have," he said, easily, "Maybe you've forgotten."

She shook her head and backed up a step.

"No I didn't forget," she said, "At least not about that. We've met before, I know it."

"I don't think so," he said, rubbing one of his arms.

That's when she saw his tattoo and her heart nearly stopped.

"You are one of them," C.J. said, "That's where I know you from."

He averted his eyes.

"Why would you say that?"

"That tattoo," she said, "The chimera belongs to Andre and don't tell me you don't know that or him."

He sighed.

"C.J., you're right, I do know Andre and I've seen you but I've never met you."

"When did you see me?"

He set his jaw.

"When you first got there, I was one of the men who took you to your room."

She took another step backwards, looking in different directions.

"You mean my cell," she said, "You know what that meant didn't you? You knew what Andre would do to me."

He looked away and then nodded.

"Then why did you do it and think that you could just approach me on a beach miles away as if nothing happened?"

"I don't work for him anymore," he said.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Of course you do," she said, "If you didn't, you'd be dead."

"I'm not here to harm you," he said, "I'm here to help you find him and get him."

She shook her head.

"No, you're here to take me back to him and I'm not going back," she said, "I'll die first, I'll kill you first but I'm not going to let him hurt me anymore."

She backed away and he grabbed her arm.

"Wait…"

She swung around and yanked her arm away but his grip was too strong, so she kicked him and hit him with her other fist. He let her go and she fell on the sand.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said, "and neither is he. I know he's looking for you."

"You know because he sent you," she said, reaching for anything that she could use. Her hand fell on a stick and she got back on her feet and swung it at him. He tried to evade her action but the stick caught him on the side of his head, knocking him to the ground at her feet.

He looked unconscious or dead but she knew she wasn't going to wait to find out. She spun around and ran into the jungle.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34 Here's the next installment of the neverending fan fiction story (lol). Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

C. J. had run into the jungle after watching Antonio fall to the ground. She looked wildly around her for a path to follow through it but a solid wall of trees and other foliage met her at every turn. She cursed herself for not remembering that she would never be safe from him. Everywhere she went, he would send someone to follow and find her. She tried to part the branches and vines to move through but they struck her on the face, nearly knocking her off of her feet several times. Finally, she pushed her way through, her heart thudding in her ears until she reached a clearing and realized she stood on a cliff overlooking the pounding ocean.

She sunk to the ground, looked around and crawled under an overhanging rock into a small crevice, curling herself into this cramped space. She closed her eyes.

He stroked her arm and she recoiled.

"What's the matter," he said to her, "My type offends you?"

She pulled her arm away and looked at him.

"What do you think," she said.

He grabbed her hair and yanked on it to pull her closer to him, his breath warm on her face.

"You'd better find a way to not be offended," he said, "or I'll change my mind about keeping you here."

She fought to keep her face neutral and her voice calm, digging her fingers into her palms with the effort.

"What does it matter to you," she said, "It didn't when I got here."

He let her go and paced in front of her. Her eyes followed his movement.

"You left me no choice," he said, "It didn't have to be that way."

"I think you enjoyed it," she said, "You enjoyed hurting me. I think you get off on hurting women."

He stopped in front of her as if he were going to grab her again and she tried not to back away.

"Not all women."

Now, she lay under the crevice, waiting for them to come and try to take her back to him but no one came.

* * *

Matt finished up his breakfast and looked at his watch. He needed to prepare for the meeting with Antonio.

"Has anyone seen C.J.?"

Brady put his fork down.

"She's out running isn't she," he said, "At least she usually is every morning."

"She's usually back by now," Matt said.

"Maybe she's gone out a little longer," Brady said, "She knows we have that meeting this morning."

"Yeah, she was a bit worried about it," Matt said, "But she's going to be here."

Zeke sat down next to Brady.

"I heard back from Serena and she hasn't been able to find anything about Bujold," he said.

"How's her work doing on the disk," Matt asked.

"Slow…but it looks like some of those organizations might be fronts for the drug trade he ran back in New England."

"Meaning they hid their earnings in those organizations?"

Zeke nodded.

Matt shook his head.

"If it worked out well for Andre," he said, "Maybe he's using the same strategy now."

"Could be," Zeke said, "Serena did mention that Duval hosted a fundraiser for women's causes this week. She was catching up on her tabloids."

"Where was that?"

"At an estate in Houston, Texas," Zeke said, "It was very well attended and raised a lot of money."

"That's where our friends are," Matt said, "I wonder if they were aware of it."

"She said Andre was staying in the States to wrap up some business before heading out of the country soon."

"I'll bet," Matt said, "I might have to call some folks in Houston and see if they do know anything about this party."

"It's risky, Matt," Brady said, "Although Serena can help you make the call."

"I'd appreciate it," Matt said, "Maybe if there's time to head down to the village after this meeting."

* * *

"Who the hell do you think you're dealing with here?"

Chris and Fran looked up at Rhonda who stood before them, hands on her hips.

"We need your help Rhonda," Fran said.

"You need help, but not from me if you think you'll be able to pull anything over on Andre Duval," Rhonda said, "Jonathon's an uptight bureaucrat who seriously needs to loosen up but he's right, we're way out of our league here."

"We're going to be careful," Chris said, "He's expressed an interest in partnering with the foundation and if I ask him to come down in a public place of course for a business lunch, he's probably not going to be suspicious."

"He's only interested in our foundation to use our interest in it to find C.J."

Chris shrugged.

"Maybe we can make that work for us," she said.

"What does Dan think about your plan?"

Fran looked at Chris.

"He doesn't know," Chris said, "And he's not going to know. He's still recovering from the bomb that Andre's men put in Jonathon's car."

"And after that, after nearly losing your boyfriend, you're still willing to mess with this guy?"

Chris looked at both women and nodded.

"C.J. and Matt aren't ever going to be able to come back here until Andre's behind bars or dead," she said, "We have to do something. Jonathon and the feds have been dragging their feet."

"She's right Rhonda," Fran said, "They need our help and they've been there for me when I've really needed them."

Rhonda put her head in her hand.

"Me too," she said, "Okay…if you're determined to go through with this, you're going to need someone with a level head who's used to dealing with major creeps on power trips."

Both women smiled.

"So you're in," Fran asked.

"I'm in."

* * *

C.J. stayed in her hiding place, listening for footsteps but silence greeted her except for the sounds of birds warbling in the trees. She could hear the roar of the ocean and see the sunlight envelop the ground outside the crevice. She figured it was still late morning and that she had been hiding for several hours. Had she killed Antonio when she struck him? If he had regained consciousness, where had he gone? Were more of Andre's men looking for her?

She lay still, even slowing down her breathing whenever she heard a twig crackle or another noise until she realized no one was out there.

"Not all women," she had asked, "What do you mean by that?"

She stood back in the empty room with Andre, a million miles away from any life she had ever known.

"I hurt only those who deserve it."

"And what did I do to deserve it," she asked, "Not wanting to do what you wanted me to do?"

"You're to do exactly what I say," he said, "This is your life now."

She shook her head.

"I'm never going to do that," she said, "And I'm never going to accept that this is my life. You're wasting your time."

He caressed her face, then grabbed her arm and forced it behind her back. She tried to pull away from him.

"All I've got is time," he said, "That's something that you might be short on if you keep fighting me."

"Kill me then," she said, "Go ahead, do it. I'd rather die than be forced into your life."

He let her go and walked out of her cell closing the door behind him.

"I'll be back."

And C.J. had sat back on the floor, pulling her arms around her knowing he was right.

* * *

Matt rubbed his head with his hands. He looked at his watch. Several hours had passed since C.J. had left for her daily run.

Bertha came out to check on him.

"Matt, what's the matter?"

"C.J.'s not back yet and it's been several hours," he said, "Something's wrong."

"What are you going to do," she said.

He stood up.

"I'm going to go find her."

"What about the guy that you're supposed to be meeting with today?"

Matt paused.

"He hasn't shown up either."

Brady came running up.

"Matt, we need your help," he said.

Matt jogged after him and they both headed out towards the beach. Ahead, Matt saw two men, with one leaning on the other. Blood trickled down Antonio's face as Zeke helped him walk.

"What happened," he said.

"I found him walking on the beach," Zeke said, "He said that he'd been running and was hit on the head."

A chill ran through Matt.

"We can't find C.J.," he said, "No one knows where she is."

"I do."

Matt and the other two men looked at Antonio, who wiped the blood off of his forehead.

"Where is she," Matt asked.

"She hit me on the head with a stick and must have run off," Antonio said, "When I came to, she was gone."

"She never showed up here."

"She's not going to," Antonio said, "She's going to hide some place and stay as far away from here as she can."

Matt sighed, a million thoughts running through his head.

"Who are you really, Mr. Bujold?"

"I'm who I said I am, Mr. Houston."

Matt gestured with his hand towards Bujold's tattoo.

"Nice artwork," he said, "The last time I saw it, was on a man who was about to pull a gun on me only I didn't give him the chance."

Antonio averted his eyes.

"Where is she?"

"I told you she took off…"

Matt reached into his belt and pulled out his gun, aiming it at Antonio.

"You tell me where I can find her now."

Antonio just looked at him. If having a gun pointed at him frightened him, he didn't show it.

"I don't know," he said, "She could have run into the jungle."

"Matt, why would she hit this man hard enough to nearly kill him," Zeke asked.

Matt kept the gun aimed at Antonio.

"Because she remembered where she had seen him before, didn't she Antonio?"

He looked at all of them then nodded.

"Our paths just crossed," Antonio said, "She remembered who I was from her time spent with Duval."

"And what exactly was your role in all that?"

"I worked for Duval doing security for him at his different posts all over the world," Antonio said, "I spent some time in one up in Washington. Only for a few days before I was reassigned. I met…saw C.J. not long after she'd been kidnapped and brought there. I and another guard were ordered to pick her up and take her to her room for Duval."

"And what happened to her after that?"

Antonio stared back, his eyes not blinking.

"What do you think?"

Matt closed his eyes for a long moment, then pressed his finger on the trigger of his gun.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just shoot you right here and now," he said, "You have about 15 seconds."

"Matt…," Brady said.

"10 seconds…"

Antonio put up his hands, slowly.

"Because I can get you to Duval."

Matt still kept his finger on the trigger.

"I'm listening."

"I've worked at nearly all of his bases where he operates," Antonio said, "Including the one that's not too far away from here. If he's there, I can get us in there."

"And why should we trust you?"

"I may have worked for Andre and I had my reasons for doing so, but there's no love between him and I and I welcome any assistance to bringing him down."

"Yeah, I can see that," Matt said, "After all, the tattoo's a fake, isn't it?"

"You won't be able to reach him without my assistance," Antonio said, "All his compounds are heavily fortified."

Brady looked at Matt.

"Okay, I'll tell you this. We'll take your sales pitch and give it some thought and get back to you."

"You're going to let me leave?"

"I figure if you were still working for Andre, you wouldn't have come without reinforcements," Matt said, "But I still don't trust you and I don't like you and that tattoo is only part of the reason."

"I'm sorry about what happened to C.J.," Antonio said, "She didn't deserve it."

"No woman deserves men like Andre," Matt said, "And he's taken a very special friend of mine and made her life a living nightmare that she can't wake up from."

"He's done that to other women as well," Antonio said, "Next time we'll talk about some of them."

Matt thought about it and then lowered his gun.

"You run along and we'll think about it and give you a call tomorrow," Matt said, "I've got to go find C.J."

Antonio started walking then turned around to face him.

"You won't find her," he said, "She'll never come back to people she cares about because she knows if she's right about me, they're dead."

"I think I might know where to start looking," Matt said.

* * *

Chris waited on the phone for Andre's secretary to transfer her to his personal line. Fran and Rhonda sat in her office with her while she placed the call.

"Hello, this is Andre Duval speaking."

"Hello…this is Chris with the Houston foundation. We spoke at the gala the other night."

"Ah yes, I remember you," he said, "How can I help you?"

"I thought about what you said about working together and I'd like to discuss it with you over lunch."

He hesitated.

"I'm leaving the country in a day or so," he said, "I've wrapped up some business here and am heading back. I suppose we could meet for lunch tomorrow."

"That will be great," she said.

"I'll have my secretary set it up with yours."

"I'll look forward to hearing from you," Chris said, then made a face after she hung up the phone.

"Good job," Fran said, "So he's going to do lunch?"

Chris nodded.

"Fran will come with me since she's the director of the women's center," she said, "And you'll help us with the equipment."

Rhonda frowned.

"Equipment?"

"Yeah, like which one of us is going to wear the wire."

* * *

Matt went into the kitchen. Bertha handed him a bag filled with sandwiches and a thermos of her stew. He placed it in a knapsack.

"I'm sure she's all right," she said, "She's probably hiding out until it's dark."

"I almost pulled that trigger," Matt said.

"But you didn't," Bertha said.

"How could he do that to her," he said "knowing what was ahead."

"Maybe his choices were limited," she said, "We don't know his story just that he has one."

"I knew something terrible had happened," he said, "The way she had changed from the way I knew her, the way I had left her only eight months ago."

"She's still the woman that you left, underneath it all," Bertha said, "The one that you care so deeply about."

He turned around to look at her.

"Yeah I do," Matt said, "We've known each other most of our lifetimes."

"You're going to have to draw on what you built together to work through this, Matt."

"I'd better get going," he said, lifting his knapsack, "Thanks for the food."

* * *

C.J. crawled out of the crevice and shakily rose to her feet. The sun still shone and the air remained still. She had stayed hidden until her surroundings suffocated her, reminding her of the time she had hidden just before her escape.

The guards were looking for her, after she had gotten out of her room for the last time. She had rushed down the hallway holding onto her injured wrist and hidden inside a utility room. Hearing footsteps outside, she looked frantically for a way out. Near the floor, she discovered an air vent. She pried it open with her fingers on her good hand and after discovering it was wide enough, crawled right inside. She pulled the covering over the entrance.

Two guards rushed in and looked around.

"Where do you think she went?"

"She couldn't have gotten far," the other said, "Besides, no one has ever escaped from here."

"I don't want that record broken on my watch," the first guard said, "Call in the others and we'll do a room by room, corner by corner search of the entire facility if we have to."

"Yes sir," the second guard said, before speaking on his radio.

She heard footsteps and their voices, right next to her and then fading as they left the room. She turned and began crawling through the tight space, not knowing where it would lead her.

Now, she sat back on her heels near the ground, not sure where to go next. She didn't know the jungle well enough to navigate through it, so she decided to backtrack and move closer to the beach until nightfall.

Matt walked with Brady to the smaller boat.

"Are you sure you don't need one of us to come along?"

He shook his head.

"It's better if it's just me," he said, "I think I know where she might have gone and the boat will get me there quicker."

"You're a good sailor. You should be just fine on the water."

"I've had a lot of practice on open ocean," Matt said, "I'll hoist anchor near shore and then branch out and look for her."

"We'll stay here in case she does come back."

Matt nodded then stepped onto the boat.

* * *

C.J. walked through the jungle, looking carefully to see where she had walked earlier. Sweat beaded on her face and she wiped it off. Her left leg stung from where she had struck a rock when she crawled underneath the crevice. She tried to listen for the sound of the ocean to guide her back to the beach.

"Hey, it's a nice day to go sailing, don't you think?"

C.J. looked up from her computer screen at Matt who had walked into her office.

"It's a nice day to do a lot of things," she said, "But I've got a bunch of emails which have needed my attention for a week."

"Then they can wait another day," he said, "Come on, your computer will still be there when you get back."

She laughed.

"All right, but this time, try to stay on course so the Coast Guard doesn't have to rescue us."

He looked hurt.

"We didn't miss Catalina Island by that much," he said, "Besides that was a great sunset wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was, really," she said softly, "until we crashed into the rock."

"Come on, I promise this time I'll plot my course more carefully."

"I'm sure you've already done that in other ways."

He smiled, and held his hand to her.

She looked at him a minute then slipped her hand in his, and he helped her up and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his shoulder as they left the office together.

* * *

Matt guided his sail, as he steered the boat against the current and ran it parallel to the shore. The wind cooperated today and he made good time. He looked over at the shore but saw no one.

"You see it's worth it," he said as they stood near the bow.

The ocean spanned before them all the way to the horizon. Seagulls flew overhead and water splashed against the side of the boat. He had talked her into leaving her workload behind and going sailing with him in the harbor. She finally agreed and now they were out at sea.

She nodded.

"Yeah, it's always so beautiful out here," she said, "So peaceful."

"One of my favorite places for getting away from it all," Matt said, "I really like L.A. but it's not…"

"Like Texas?"

He looked at her, surprised.

"How did you know what I was going to say?"

She sighed.

"Because I miss home too."

"Would you ever go back," Matt asked.

"Maybe," she said, "Not right now, but in the future."

He paused.

"What's going on right now?"

She looked up at him, surprised.

"Nothing…"

"You've been spending a lot more time at the office lately," he said.

She paused, hating to lie to him but knowing she didn't have a choice.

"It's that project Murray gave me to do," she said, "Nothing to worry about."

He studied her careful.

"Who said anything about being worried?"

She looked back over the water and he felt her pull away from him.

"I thought we came here to get away from the office," she said.

He looked at her a moment then shrugged.

"You're right," he said, "Let's forget about it for today."

She walked away and he watched her go wondering what was going on and what he wasn't seeing.

* * *

He knew now what C.J. had been hiding from him. That she had been working for the FBI because that agency and the Department of Homeland Security had been alerted to suspicious activity involving his corporation. But things hadn't been as they appeared and because of that, months later he and C.J. were hiding out on some island in the middle of nowhere. If only he had paid more attention to what was happening with her back then, maybe… But there wasn't any time to rewrite the past now. He just knew he had to find her.

There were rocks ahead and he deftly navigated around them, but still, no sign of life on the shore. He watched as the strip of sand narrowed and began ceding ground to the jungle which had paralleled it. He knew that C.J. ran far enough down the beach to reach this section so he guessed that he was close to the area where she had encountered Antonio. But she could be anywhere including some distance away. Matt knew that with adrenalin running through her system, she could have traveled further than usual. He approached the shore near a group of rocks and tied his boat to the best spot to anchor it. He secured his boat, then climbed onto one of the rocks carrying his knapsack with him.

When he reached the sand, he saw several sets of footprints and an imprint which looked like it could have been a person and nearby, a long stick. He knelt to the sand to look at something closer.

Drops of blood. Still left behind, awaiting the tide which would ride in and take the evidence of the altercation with it.

He stood up and looked around, knowing he had found the spot. Now, where was she and which direction had she fled?

* * *

C.J. walked until she had to stop and rest. She sank to the ground and looked around her at the sameness of all the tall trees. The birds called to one another above her. She still heard the ocean and knew she was close to the beach.

She kept thinking about a sailing trip that she had taken with Matt on his boat in the harbor just off of Los Angeles not too long before he had taken off. He had asked her what was bothering her and she had lied to him. If she hadn't, would events have turned out differently?

She rubbed her eyes with her hands and knew that revisiting ancient history solved nothing. She needed to keep walking until she could find the ocean and figure out what to do next. Where to go from there. She couldn't go back to Matt and the others now. She knew all about running and not looking back.

She looked around the office after crawling out of the air vent. She stood up and walked to the desk. It looked like she had wound up in Piser's office. The door to the hallway remained closed and she started looking in the drawers for anything that would help her escape. She found photographs of women who likely had been trafficked by Andre's operation. Averting her eyes, she closed the drawer so she wouldn't have to look at them. She opened another drawer and discovered a letter opener, which she tucked away in her hand.

Suddenly, she heard the door knob turn as someone stuck a key inside of it. She hid behind the desk, holding the letter opener behind her. The door opened and Piser flipped on the light switch. C.J. crept closer to the desk, tucking the letter opener in her pants. Piser walked over to the desk and picked up some documents turning his back to her. She squatted back on her heels, her calves beginning to cramp and slowed her breathing.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Piser said.

A guard walked inside.

"It's Ms Parsons," the man said, "She's escaped from her quarters."

Piser dropped the documents on the desk, but one of them floated to the floor.

"How come this is the first I've heard about it?"

"It just happened," the man said, "I've got all my men casing the building."

"Damn, you need to find her and bring her to me," Piser said, "Andre will have my head if she escapes."

"No need to worry," the man said, "This facility is escape-proof."

"You don't know this woman," Piser said, "She's very intelligent and very determined."

"We'll find her and bring her back to you."

"Go do that," Piser said, "And keep me posted."

The guard left.

"Damn that bitch," he said, "When I find her…"

He walked close to where C.J. sat, waiting.

She knew she had a quick decision to make.

* * *

She looked up as she heard a branch crackle and then she saw him. Piser standing in the jungle. Somehow, he had come back to life and had come after her. She spun around and fled, pushing her way through the jungle. The man followed her.

"C.J."

She picked up her pace, breathing hard and increasing her stride which was difficult. A branch smacked her off her feet but without looking behind her, she got on her feet and kept running.

Matt saw her take off when she had seen him and sprinted after her but she ran all out and he couldn't reach her. Vines grabbed at his arms and legs as he pushed through them. C.J. kept running until she entered a clearing and stopped only when she saw the drop off. She turned around just as Matt entered the clearing. He stopped about 10 yards away.

"Go away," she yelled, backing up.

"C.J., it's me," he said, realizing she saw someone else.

"You're dead," she said, "I saw you die."

"You saw who die," Matt said, "Antonio?"

She shook her head.

"Then who?"

She stood her ground, breathing hard with her hands on her thighs as if preparing to fight. Matt slowly approached her but she backed up closer to the drop off. She looked behind her and saw the rocks below it, with the tides swirling around them. She turned wildly around.

"I'll jump," she said, "I'm not coming with you."

Matt looked at her and realized what was happening. He stood and watched her as she stepped closer to the edge thinking of something fast to do or say to stop her.

* * *


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Here's another installment. I hope you like it. Thanks for the comments!

* * *

Matt watched as C.J. approached the edge of the drop off.

"I'm here to help you," he said.

"That man…"

"He's not here and he can't hurt you," he said, grabbing for whatever words came to mind first.

She looked up at him, her face and part of her hair caked with drying mud.

"I know," she said, her voice shaking, "I killed him."

"No you didn't," he said, "Antonio came back to the house."

"No, not him."

His eyes narrowed until the realization hit him.

"Semour Piser."

She nodded and ran her hand through her hair.

"I had to get away," she said, "He caught me in his office and was going to kill me."

Matt inched closer, slowly so she wouldn't move closer to the edge.

"I stabbed him with a letter opener and he fell on the floor," she said, "then I ran from the office."

"C.J., you just did what you had to do to survive," Matt said, "And you did. You're not there anymore. You're here with me."

She looked back over the drop off to the rocks below.

"You don't need to escape," Matt said, "You already did that. You told me that you got swept down the river to safety and you got away."

She nodded slowly. He inched forward but she saw him and took one step backward.

"But he found me," she said, "I was running on the beach and all of a sudden, he was there."

"We took care of him, C.J.," Matt said, "He's not going to hurt you. He told me that he was one of the guards who took you to your cell."

She looked around her. Matt inched ever closer, until he was several feet from her.

"And he told me what happened to you when you got there."

Her eyes turned back towards him. Matt 's heart ached at what he saw there.

"I didn't…."

"I know," he said softly.

Her shoulders shook and she sank to the ground. When she lifted her face again, he saw tears streaming down her cheeks. He approached her and wrapped his arms around her and this time, she didn't fight him.

"I'm right here," he said, "and I'm not going anywhere."

She cried into his chest and he stroked her hair. And they stayed that way for a while.

* * *

Fran looked over at Chris.

"It definitely looks better on you," she said.

"Where'd you get this device anyway?"

Fran shrugged.

"A friend."

Chris looked up.

"A friend," she said, "What friend?"

Fran smiled.

"Before I met Carlos, I went out with a private investigator who was willing to spare a wire when he heard it was for a good cause."

"Does it work," Chris asked.

"We can try it out," Fran said, "But we need to go through a dry run with Rhonda to make sure she knows what to do."

Chris nodded.

"Are you nervous about this at all?"

Fran folded her arms.

"Hell yes," she said, "But you know we got to try this and who knows we might get lucky and the guy might drop his guard and spill something."

"Maybe…" Chris said but she had her doubts.

* * *

C.J. leaned her head against his chest as they sat together in the jungle. He still had his arms wrapped around her.

"I thought you'd hate me for what happened," she said.

"I could never hate you," he said, "Why would you think that?"

She grew silent. He stroked her hair off of her face.

"I did things I thought I'd never do," she said, "Each day there was something to get through, to survive. And some days I didn't want to. The things I saw, the things that happened."

"C.J., you can tell me anything," he said, "I'm not going to judge you."

"Maybe…"

"No maybes," he said, "

"I should have seen it coming," she said, "I should have known something was wrong."

His brow furrowed.

"What could you have seen?"

"Something didn't add up but I didn't pay any attention to that," she said, "And then…Scott."

"What about him?"

"He was the one who gave me the message to contact the person I was going to meet when I got ambushed in the parking lot," she said, "Chris warned me not to trust him."

"Why are you blaming yourself for all this?"

She looked away.

"It's my fault," she said, "You always reminded me yourself to be very cautious when agreeing to meet with people I didn't know. To trust my instincts…"

He put his fingers beneath her chin and steered her face towards his own.

"This isn't your fault, C.J.," Matt said, "If anything it's mine for allowing Scott back into the company."

"You didn't know," C.J. said, "Because I never told you."

Matt looked around and saw that the sky had grown darker as the sun set over the horizon.

"Come on, we'd better head back to the boat," he said, helping her up, "You going to be okay walking?"

"I can make it," she said, "You brought the boat?"

"Not just the boat, but some supplies," he said, "including some of Bertha's fish stew."

She smiled despite herself.

"Sounds good actually," she said, "I haven't eaten since last night."

"Come on," he said.

He wrapped his arm around her and she nestled her head in his shoulder just as she had done many times before and they headed back to the boat.

* * *

Dan looked over at Chris who still hadn't come to bed.

"What's keeping you up?"

She looked back at him and he lay there resting his head on his hand watching her.

"Nothing…"

That caught his attention.

"It doesn't sound like nothing to me."

She paused, looking at him.

"How far would you go to get a bad guy," she said, "you know back when you were a cop?"

He sat up in bed.

"As far as the law allows," he said.

"What if the law didn't allow you to do that?"

He looked at her a minute.

"Where is this coming from Chris?"

"No where," she said, "I'm just so frustrated at watching men who do truly evil things walk around as if nothing happened and…"

"Those who are out there doing good pay the consequences of their actions."

She nodded.

Dan smiled, but his eyes didn't.

"That's one reason why I'm no longer a cop," Dan said, "I couldn't handle that part of the job."

"Didn't you just for once want to step outside that line?"

"I don't think I like the sound of that."

Chris sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I just can't believe that we might never see Matt and C.J. again because of the actions of one evil man."

Dan looked up in response to the sadness etched in her voice.

"We'll see them again," he said, "The feds including Jonathon are working hard on this case and Matt and C.J. are working hard on their end wherever they are now."

"It's been so long already," she said, "It's not right that this Andre gets to go around in public, host galas and they have to stay in hiding."

"Life's not always fair, Chris," Dan said, "But I think we're going to get this guy somehow and then they'll come home."

She tried to smile.

He reached over to embrace her and she held onto him tightly.

* * *

C.J. sat on the boat eating stew and looking up in the night sky lit up by hundreds of stars.

"You're right," she said, "The sky's so beautiful here from the boat."

He wrapped a light blanket around her shoulders and sat down beside her.

"Yeah, you don't see stars like this back in L.A."

"No you don't," she said, putting her bowl down, "They look so close you can almost touch them."

"I did some of my best thinking out here," he said, "I had a lot to think about, after cancelling the wedding and traveling around. "

She turned her head to look at him.

"That was after you nearly died from stepping on a sting ray?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"How'd you know about that?"

"Bertha told me about it," she said, "It sounds horrible."

"How much did she tell you," he said looking at her carefully.

"Not much, just that you nearly died but some medicine saved your life."

He relaxed and stretched out his legs.

"It definitely was a an experience which made me appreciate life," he said, slowly, "but what got me through it was thinking about all the people I'd left behind when I ran away and wanting so much to see them again. Uncle Roy, Will, my friends. You."

She looked at him then looked down at her hands. He followed her gaze and saw the scars etched in her palms.

"During the worst…times," she said, "I imagined what it would be like if I ever escaped and made it back home but each day, I felt myself being pulled further away from who I was."

He took one of her hands in both of his and held it.

"You're still you," he said, "You're still the woman who means more to me than I could ever say."

* * *

"I'm here for the job," C.J. said, laying her briefcase on the desk where Matt sat back in his chair with his cowboy boots resting on top of some papers.

He looked at her standing in front of him for a long minute, from her coiffed hair to her high heels. She knew he still remembered the tomboy of childhood and the quiet, studious woman who had always led her graduating class from high school to law school. But what he saw was that his long-time friend had grown into an attractive woman when he hadn't been looking.

"I can see that," he said, smiling, "Well sit down and we can talk about your qualifications. We're getting ready to set up an office in Los Angeles in a year or so and that would be your main responsibility if you get the job."

She looked around for a chair and found one beneath a stack of files.

"I thought you were working in the Houston Public Defender office," he said.

"I was," she said, "I am…I gave them my notice."

He nodded.

"That confident you would get the position?"

She looked at him and tossed her hair back. He smiled at the gesture that she often did when trying to reestablish her footing in a situation.

"I'm the best candidate for the job," she said, "I know everything about your company and its history. I work very hard and play harder."

He raised a brow.

"This job involves travel," he said, "Can you prepare to leave on short notice?"

"Yes I can," she said, "I can pack a suitcase for overnight or two weeks in less time than most people take to make plane reservations."

He studied her for a moment.

"Hey why don't we go out to lunch for this interview," he said, "Give us some chance to catch up. It's been a while since we've run into each other."

"The job's kept me really busy," she said.

"I've been traveling a lot, trying to take Daddy's company in a whole different direction," he said, "Set up offices in different cities around the world."

"You've done really well with it," she said, then when he raised his brow, "I've been reading about it in the trades."

"I heard on the grapevine that you received several job offers from well-known criminal defense attorneys," he said.

"A few," she said, "But I want to do something different and I want to work with you."

* * *

Matt thought back to that day when she had bombarded into his office and after a three hour lunch, he had hired her for the position. Together, they had mapped out the company's future and spent the next several years taking it there.

She put everything into the job and into the company that she said she would. She left town on business trips on the turn of a dime and worked late nights and early mornings as hard as he did. She had packed up and relocated in Los Angeles when it was time to start up the new office and they built that branch of its operations into a success. First she had to study for and pass one of the toughest Bar exams in the country to practice law and she did, despite having spent most of the three days doubled over in pain from what turned out to be appendicitis. The incredulous surgeon had asked her before rushing her into surgery when she had first noticed the pain and she said some time during the property law questions.

But then C.J. always backed up her promises and words with actions and had as long as he had known her. He knew now what she didn't tell him then that she had lost her enthusiasm for criminal defense law after her first encounter with Andre and had never regained it. She had tackled her new career with the enthusiasm and humor that she had brought into every corner of her life and working together had cemented their friendship into something that transcended it.

He looked over and noticed that she had drifted off to sleep beneath the blanket and underneath the stars. He stood up and went to radio Bertha, Brady and the others that he had found her and they would be returning the next day.

* * *

Andre picked up the phone in his office.

"This is Duval," he said, "Is this about the Singapore shipment?"

"Yes," the man on the other end said, "It arrived on schedule and they all cleared customs."

"Were the officials provided with incentive packages?"

"Yes, but we have to be more careful than ever," the man said, "These are difficult times."

"I'm heading out of the country tomorrow night or the next day," Andre said, "I have some business to settle here with one of the local foundations."

"You taking this charity gigs of yours to another level?"

"Hardly, these women are friends of the one I told you about, the one who escaped."

"Whatever happened with her?"

"She's still missing," Andre said, "My men have been out looking for her. She's with a friend of hers, the owner of Houston Enterprises. He's very good at staying beneath the radar but it won't matter. We will find them."

"Do you think they've contacted anyone in Houston?"

Andre smiled.

"That's what I plan to find out."

* * *

She woke up back in the garden, with crickets chirping and the moon light shining across the path. She sat as she usually did on the back steps waiting for him.

"You're unusually quiet tonight," he said as he sat down beside her.

"Just thinking," she said, looking at him.

"About what?"

She paused.

"How much I've missed you," she said, "I know I haven't been around as much."

"I've noticed," he said, slipping his arm around her shoulder.

"That project has me so busy, Houston," she said.

"Then why don't you get Murray or some of the other accountants like Scott to help you?"

She grew quiet. He looked at her more closely.

"What's wrong," he asked, "Is it Scott? What aren't you telling me?"

She looked at him, her eyes unreadable then shook her head.

"Nothing…I know you're happy that he's back at Houston Enterprises."

"Happy's not exactly the word for it," Matt said, "I feel like he needed the favor. Sometimes I think he's never going to grow up."

"He hasn't really changed, has he?"

"No he hasn't," Matt said, "If you have something that's bothering you about him, I wish you'd tell me…"

She hesitated.

The sky darkened and her surroundings hushed into silence. She stood in another room miles away with Andre who paced around her.

"I know this man helped you," Andre said, "And he will be punished severely. If there are any others, I will get it out of him before I kill him. As for you…"

"No, don't hurt him," C.J. said, "He just stopped by to ask how I was feeling. Nothing else."

He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him.

"As I said, I'll find out the truth from him before I kill him."

"There's nothing to find out."

"If you're protecting anyone…"

"There's nothing he can tell you," she said, pulling her arm loose from his grip.

"My best men will find out if that's the case."

C.J.'s eyes darted around the room, her mind working quickly.

"Wait…I'll do whatever you want."

He stroked her arm.

"I know you will."

She nodded, thinking of the young woman who had helped her whose life rested in her hands.

"Okay..."

She reached for him.

"You have ten minutes to convince me to change my mind about killing him," Andre said.

She looked at him and nodded and then she was someplace else watching the both of them.

* * *

Matt turned around when he heard her murmuring in her sleep. She had pushed her blanket off of her and she shifted the position of her body. Her brow furrowed, her eyes moved below her lids. He sat down next to her.

C.J. woke up, her heart pounding struggling to breathe. She looked around her and saw him. Matt grabbed her by the shoulders and thought she would pull away but she didn't.

"I can't get away from him," she said.

"Sure you can," he said, pulling her to him, "I'll sit here with you."

She leaned into him and he could feel her heart beating quickly.

"I don't know why I thought he wasn't lying about not killing him."

"Who lied about killing who?"

She grew silent and he wasn't sure she'd answer. She wiped some tears away with her hand and continued.

"One of the guards that Andre thought was helping me but he wasn't," she said, "I tried to stop him from killing him anyway I knew how but Andre still had him brought in the room. He shot him right in front of me. "

Matt closed his eyes for a while, pulling her closer.

"Why were you trying to protect a guard?"

She looked at him.

"He wasn't the one I was protecting."

* * *

Elena placed her bags on her bed inside her quarters. She passed her desk and saw some more folders there of documents to look through and process. She sighed, deciding that could wait until tomorrow and thought again about the woman she had talked to in the United States. Was she right in that Andre a man who had never said an unkind word to her was a monster who hurt other women? She still found it difficult to reconcile the two images of him, the one she knew and the other one that two women had told her about. But she knew she didn't really know much about what the senor did outside her presence.

She thought back to how unhappy C.J. had been while staying with her employer. And how she had escaped one night and didn't return. The night she had given her the necklace.

Elena found herself trusting Chris as she had trusted her friend and knew that this woman had been concerned about her. Still she was at a loss of what to do. It had been a close call last time.

She lay back on her bed, fingering the necklace and knew she had to get answers to her questions from some place.

* * *

C.J. and Matt rested together on the boat and listened to the water lapping gently against its side.

"Did your nightmares ever stop," she asked.

He nodded.

"They did, but it took time."

She closed her eyes.

"I wish I had it all to do over," she said.

"So do I."

She looked at him in surprise.

"Why, what do you wish you could change?"

"Hiring Scott back…"

"He's your friend," she said.

"He was my friend," Matt said, "But now I realize I never really knew him at all."

"I did and I never told you," she said, "I should have trusted you more than I did."

"I shouldn't have left like I did," he said, "Maybe Andre took advantage of that."

"You don't know that," she said, "It would have happened anyway. And I think leaving was something you really needed to do."

"Is that why you didn't tell me that night?"

She thought about it before responding.

"Maybe," she said, "You're so upset. I hadn't seen you like that in a long time. Anything I had to say could wait. If I really wanted to stop you, I could have done it."

"Only it couldn't wait."

"You're here now and that's what matters," she said.

They spent the rest of the night in the boat, holding on to each other, uncertain of what the next day would bring.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36--Hi, I finished another installment. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

C.J. woke up to see the sun rising over the horizon and her head resting on Matt's shoulder. He still slept beside her, his breathing slow and even. She sat up carefully, so she wouldn't disturb him. Her body ached from the strenuous exercise the day before and she winced as she rubbed her shoulders.

She felt better for the first time in a long time, as if a weight had been lifted off of her. The day had started fresh, with few clouds speckled across the blue sky and the ocean appeared calm. The pungent smell of tropical flora wafted around her. She stretched her arms gingerly trying to ease the soreness out of them.

"What time is it," she heard the voice say next to her.

She looked over at Matt who sat up.

"About 7," she said, "Did you sleep well?"

He grimaced as he shifted his body to make it more comfortable.

"A few hours," he said, "How about you?"

She smiled softly.

"Better than I had in a while," she said, yawning, "Thank you for coming for me."

He looked at her as she stood up, brushing the dried mud off of her clothes.

"C.J., you're my best friend," Matt said, "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

She leaned over the railing of the boat, her back to him.

"I don't know what happened to me," she said, "I don't know what I was thinking."

He stood up and walked over to stand next to her and they looked out at the placid ocean which reached out forever.

"Delayed shock maybe," he said, "I've experienced it myself a time or two. You can only hold something inside of you for so long."

"Maybe," she said, "I spent so much time trying to forget it but I couldn't and then yesterday, it just hit me all at once."

"You were scared, you've been running on adrenalin for a long time and you've lived through a nightmare," he said, "But you're going to survive this and come out the other side."

She turned her head to look at him.

"I'm not sure I know how," she said, "I always thought I was strong enough to handle anything but this is different."

"You've got your friends," he said, "and you've got me. It's just going to take some time but you'll get home."

She smiled and rubbed his back.

"I know that," she said, "And I know all of you have been working hard to help me get back there."

He put his arm around her.

"We'll get there," he said, "We'll figure out a way to get the goods on Andre and then we're going home."

* * *

C.J. sat in a chair of the state police station in Phoenix, Arizona. She had changed her clothes out of the awful getup that Sheriff Bunz had made her and the other woman wear to Semour Piser's party at his estate. Her borrowed clothes were over-sized and hung on her figure but were much more comfortable. She just wished her mind didn't remain fuzzy as to what had happened to her and how she got here.

At least she knew her real name now, not that she could figure out why everyone had called her Bunny for the past several days. She had known that wasn't her name even if she didn't know anything else.

Rhonda and the other women sat with her in the same room, waiting their turns to be processed as the state police handled the paperwork after the huge bust at the ranch.

"Your head still hurts," Rhonda asked C.J.

C.J. shook her head.

"My head just feels heavy, fuzzy," she said, "I don't know what's wrong."

"Honey they probably drugged you," she said, "It sounds like they planned to kill you and this Houston guy after Piser had his fun."

"Houston," C.J. said, "My friend."

"Some friend," Rhonda said, "I wish mine looked like that. None of them ever took on a pack of corrupt cops and randy politicians single handed to save me."

C.J. looked at the man by the vending machines across the room.

"I wish I remembered more about him," she said, "He seems very nice."

"It'll all come back," Rhonda said, rubbing C.J.'s shoulder, "It always does."

Matt walked towards them, bringing some sodas.

"I got these out of the vending machine," he said, handing one to each woman.

C.J. opened hers and took a long sip to ease the dryness in her throat.

"Thanks," she said, "I know that I know you but I'm not sure how or from where."

He smiled and sat down next to her.

"We go back a long ways," he said, "Back to when we were very young and I first saw you punch a bully's lights out at school."

She thought about that.

"Some first impression," she said.

"A memorable one for sure," he said, "I'll never forget it."

"Can you tell me more about us?"

And he did.

* * *

Matt stood by the railing remembering that day and how C.J.'s memory had returned when he shared with her memories about their past while they waited in the police station to go home. She told him about her experiences since she had lost her memory after wrecking her car. After her ordeal in Bannon County, she had seemed different. Something she had tried to tell him outside the penthouse suite of the office building the night of the party welcoming her home. But he hadn't really listened to her words. He hadn't meant to brush her off but he believed that dwelling on what happened in Bannon County would just make her feel worse. It had been a difficult stretch of months for her, what with discovering the man she loved wasn't who she thought he was, getting shot by religious cult leaders while working on a case and then her bout with amnesia. He had believed he was making things easier for her but thinking back now, he realized he'd been wrong about that.

It must not have been long after coming back from Arizona that when she had decided to help the federal agencies in their probe into Houston Enterprises to protect him. It was about that time that he had felt her pulling away from him bit by bit. Of course, he had been too busy with his caseload and then later Elizabeth to pay much attention to it even when they had worked on a case together involving her long-time friend Julia only to find out that she had died. After that, she had become more busy with that project she had mentioned any time he had tried to talk with her. It became a wall between them.

Thinking back, he wished he could have done something differently. Anything to have avoided the path they were traveling now. But what could he have done?

* * *

Chris arrived at the diner to meet Rhonda and Fran and found them seated in the booth in the far corner of their favorite breakfast spot.

"Hey Chris," Fran said, "You look sharp in that getup."

"It's just a business suit," she said, "I've worn it before."

"There are business suits and then there is that," Fran said.

Chris sat down and ordered a coffee and omelet.

"I can't believe we're doing this," she said.

Fran cocked her head.

"You think we should call it off?"

Chris shook her head.

"No, not at all," she said, "We've got one chance to see if we can find out anything."

Rhonda sighed.

"Have you two made your minds up yet?"

Both women looked at her.

"We're just trying to hammer out the logistics," Fran said, "Have you familiarized with the recording equipment?"

Rhonda smiled.

"No problem," she said, "I have an ex-boyfriend who was a roadie for a rock band. It can't be much different than figuring out all that sound equipment. "

"Good," Chris said, "the meeting with Andre's several hours away. We'd better go over what we're going to say."

"We're just going to talk about partnering our foundations," Fran said, "And in between, find out if he's involved in anything else."

"I don't think he's going to admit to doing anything illegal," Rhonda said, "The guy's slick. He's going to know five minutes into this that you're up to something."

"He might slip if we can catch him off guard," Chris said, "That's what we've got to try to do."

"I plan to do my best," Fran said.

* * *

C.J. brought out some sandwiches and tossed one to Matt. He deftly caught it and unwrapped it.

"Not bad for breakfast," she said, taking a bite, "But I miss a good Texas omelet."

Matt nodded.

"Me too," he said, "When we get back to Houston, we'll have to go out and have a dozen of them apiece."

She held up her hand.

"One will do just fine for me," she said, "Remember I ceded the title of omelet king to you some time ago."

"That's true," he said, "But I'm up for any challenges when we do get back."

"I think I'll take a couple of chili burgers to go," she said, and some fries."

"Sounds good to me," Matt said.

"And a thick chocolate malt," she added.

"Make that two," he said, "You think they deliver out here?"

"I want it all back," C.J. said, "I want to do all the things I took for granted. Everything I ever complained about. I just want my life back."

He stroked the hair off her face.

"I want that too," he said.

"What about you," she said, "You were gone for so long."

"I didn't even get to unpack my bags in L.A," Matt said, "In fact, I can't remember where I left them."

She smiled.

"That's nothing new," she said, "One adventure ends, the next is always beginning."

"All I could think about since I got back was trying to find you."

"Well, you did," she said, "I'm sorry I made it so difficult."

He paused.

"You've got nothing to be sorry about," Matt said, "You were just trying to protect yourself and me."

"I didn't want anything to happen to you," she said, "I still don't. This could be very dangerous from this point out."

"We'll try to come up with a plan to minimize that," he said, "We've some people to help us."

"You can't underestimate him," she said.

"We won't."

She nodded.

"I think that means going back," C.J. said, "Going back and finding out what this Antonio guy wants with us."

He watched her trying to hide the fear in her eyes behind her smile.

* * *

Chris and Fran walked into the restaurant lobby and told the waitress there that they would be meeting someone .

"Do you see him," Fran said, looking around.

"I don't think so," Chris said, as they followed the waitress to a table.

"I hope Rhonda knows what she's doing with the equipment," Fran said, as they sat down.

"We're going to find out," Chris said, "I'm more worried about not saying the wrong thing during this meeting."

"Let's just stick to the script," Fran said, "And hope he doesn't bring his own with him."

"We're going to have to be prepared for that."

"Hey look, he showed up," Fran said.

They both watched as Andre and two other men approached the table. Chris and Fran looked at each. It was now or never.

* * *

Jonathon sat in his office and Brad walked in with some paperwork for him to sign. He read it over.

"I didn't ask for this," he said.

"The boss told me to bring it in for you to sign."

Jonathon flipped through the pages of the document.

"It's a federal warrant," he said, "against Matt Houston for obstruction of a federal investigation."

"He seems to think this might help uncover where he's hiding out with the witness."

Jonathon tossed the papers aside.

"A lot of good it's going to do," he said, "They're probably not even in the country."

"The boss wants us to do something," Brad said, "He's getting a lot of heat on this one."

"He's going after the wrong guy," Jonathon said, "He needs to focus on Andre Duval."

"There's nothing on him," Brad said, "Unless you want to go by what his half-brother allegedly told Mr. Houston at the prison."

"He didn't buy that act that Duval put on at the charity gala," Jonathon said.

"Even Interpol came up empty on him," Brad said.

"I know Duval's a really bad guy," Jonathon said, "And I don't think focusing the attention on bringing in Houston on some obstruction charge is going to bring justice in this case."

"Then you better take that up with the boss," Brad said, "because he's very serious about this warrant and moving forward with it."

* * *

Matt steered the sail boat up the coast. The sun had risen in full force and the birds glided over the ocean back to the beach. C.J. stood next to him.

"So you really think we should contact Antonio and set up a meeting with him?"

She nodded.

"At least to hear what he has to say," she said, "I don't really want to see him again but I don't see what choice we have."

"He did seem to be understanding about you hitting him on the head," Matt said, "I got the sense he regretted his role in what happened."

C.J. looked out into the water.

"That might be," she said, "But it doesn't change anything."

"No it doesn't," Matt said, "But if he can help us find out where Andre's at and how to get to him."

"If he handled Andre's security for him, he would know how best to get at him," C.J. said, "But the question is would he be willing to do this and if so, why?"

"He hasn't told us what his price is if he does agree to work with us."

"We'd better find out what that is too, before we give him an answer."

Matt nodded.

"Definitely."

* * *

Andre and his two men sat down at the table with Chris and Fran. A waitress walked up to the table.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

"I'll have some of the house wine," Andre said.

"Two mineral waters with lime," Chris said.

The waitress wrote this down and then left them.

"You don't mind if I brought two of my aides with me," Andre said, "We just completed a business transaction this morning."

Fran and Chris looked at each other.

"Oh no, that's fine," Chris said.

Fran nodded.

"I asked for this meeting because I am interested in expanding my foundation's work with organizations like your own that address the needs of women."

Chris opened up her folder.

"Okay, well we've been operating a center right here in Houston that works with women to rebuild their lives after they've been in difficult, traumatic situations. Economic problems. Domestic violence. Sexual assault and child molestation."

"I see," Andre said, "All areas where women need to seek assistance about, yes?"

Chris nodded.

"Then that might be an area in which we can benefit each other then," Andre said, opening a leather folder, "The gala raised a lot of money for our foundation and we have other sources of income as well flowing into it."

"I see," Chris said, "So what were you thinking of proposing?"

"I'd like to work on it for a few days and then maybe bring it to your next board meeting?"

Chris hedged.

"Our board hasn't met in a while," she said, "Several of its members are on leave."

Andre frowned.

"When will they return," he said, "It would be best if I presented any proposals to the full board."

"That might not be possible," Chris said.

Fran flipped open her planner.

"One board member's on vacation," she said, "She won't return for another month and the other is on extended leave."

"What a shame," Andre said, closing his folder, "I had hoped to get full approval on this."

"Wait," Chris said, looking at Fran, "We could get in touch with Ms Parsons and see when she's coming back."

Andre tensed and looked back at his folder. Chris looked at Fran who lifted a brow.

"Where is this Ms Parsons," he said, "Perhaps you give me her contact information and I could send her a copy of any proposal and she wouldn't have to come back early."

"She asked us not to give out her address," Chris said, "Surely you can understand."

He looked at the two women then nodded.

"I'm sure our paths will cross in the future."

"You said you were leaving the country," Chris said.

"Ah yes, I will be heading to some place warm to spend some time with friends," Andre said.

"I'm sure that you must work very hard," Chris said, "It must be good to get away from it sometimes."

"Yes indeed," Andre said, "They don't know I'm coming yet. It will be a wonderful surprise."

* * *

C.J. and Matt moored the boat and went ashore. They saw Brady and Zeke working on one of the fishing boats.

"Hey you're back," Brady called from the boat.

He and Zeke joined them on the dock.

"Did you hear from Antonio?"

"He left his number where he can be reached, "Brady said, "He's still on the island recovering from that blow on the head he received."

"I don't know what got into me," C.J. said, "I wanted to talk to him."

"Don't worry about that guy," Brady said, "I'm not sure what to make of him. Do we trust him, or do we worry that he's on the phone with Duval right now giving us up."

C.J. shook her head.

"I don't think he's in contact with Duval or else we'd know for sure by now," she said, "Andre doesn't sit around waiting to act."

"At least that's been his track record so far," Matt said, "Why don't you give him a call and set up a meeting with us for tonight if he's still interested?"

Brady nodded.

"Oh, and Serena called about the disk," he said, "She needs to talk to you about that and something else."

"I'm heading into the village tomorrow," Matt said, "I'll meet with her then and find out what's going on."

"I've got to go shower and change," C.J. said, "I'm a mess."

"It's great to see that you're back," Brady said.

C.J. jogged off to her bungalow.

"She seems to be feeling okay," Brady said.

Matt looked in C.J.'s direction.

"Yeah…"

They walked into the main house.

* * *

C.J. showered and changed into worn jeans and a long-sleeved tee-shirt, then looked in the mirror. She brushed her hair and clipped it back off of her face. The face that looked back at her appeared guarded, as if waiting for the wrong person to walk in behind it. She left the mirror and sat down in a couch in the living room, picking up one of the pieces of driftwood that Matt had carved into a piece of art. She rubbed the refined wood with her fingertips and then looked at her hands.

Most of the time the scars didn't bother her. Each day, they faded a little bit more and her own hands began to reemerge as she remembered them though they would never be entirely gone. She wondered if the same were true of her memories. Would they remain a part of her even as each day they might grow less vivid? She hoped that were the case and that the day would come when she could walk back into the life she had nearly lost as if she hadn't left.

"Miss, I brought you some extra food today."

C.J. looked up from where she sat on her bed to see Elena bringing in a tray which she placed on the table.

"Thank you," she said, as she walked over to the table, "I seem to have found my appetite."

Elena smiled.

"That's good," she said, "There's some croissants that the cook just did this morning and fresh orange marmalade."

C.J. broke apart a croissant and spread the marmalade across it. She took a bite and had to admit it tasted good.

"The senor left on one of his business trips this morning," Elena said, "He left everything in the hands of Mr. Piser."

C.J. heard the distaste in the younger woman's voice.

"You don't like him?"

Elena looked uneasy.

"I don't trust him," she said, "I don't know why he came back."

"Obviously your senor needed or wanted to employ him or he wouldn't be here," C.J. said, finishing the croissant and starting in on the eggs, "I don't like him either."

"You sound almost like you know him."

C.J. nodded, pulling her hair back with her hand.

"I met him several years ago," she said, "It was a very confusing time in my life."

"He's after the senor's business," Elena said, then looked almost as if she'd said too much.

But C.J. had seen through Piser too and hoped that what she had seen was right on the money. Her life might depend on it.

"If that's the case," she said, casually "He's got his work cut out for him."

* * *

C.J. suddenly felt tired and lay back on the couch to rest for a few minutes but found herself fading off to sleep still holding onto the driftwood.

* * *

"I will have my associates write up a proposal and fax it to you when it's finished," Andre said, as he stood up.

"That will be fine," Chris said, "We'll put it on the agenda for a board meeting as soon as we look it over."

"Then our business is concluded for now," Andre said, shaking his hand with both women.

"So will Elena be working on this project?"

He looked surprised at the mention of her name.

"No, she's back at one of the estates working on another business deal," he said, "I'll be joining her in a day or so."

Chris nodded and watched Andre and his men leave.

"Well, didn't look like that meeting amounted to much," Fran said.

"We know he's looking for C.J.," Chris said, "I wonder if he thinks we know where she is."

"We don't," Fran said.

"He may not know that," Chris said, "And he mentioned joining some friends in a warm climate."

"You mean when he said, he would surprise them."

Chris picked up her coat.

"I've got to hit the restroom," she said, "I'll meet you up front."

* * *

Matt walked into the bungalow and saw C.J. asleep on the couch. Careful not to disturb her, he walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. When he came back to the living room, he saw her sitting up and stretching her arms.

"I'm sorry, I meant to just rest and I fell asleep."

"Zeke contacted Antonio," Matt said, "He'll be coming by in a couple of hours."

"Oh…," she said.

He sat down next to her on the couch, and pulled her against him. She nestled her head against his shoulder.

"Are you going to be okay with this," Matt said, "We'll set some ground rules for him…"

She shook her head.

"No, it's okay," she said, "It's not him."

"Then what is it?"

"Before I fell asleep, I was thinking of Semour Piser," she said.

"What about him?"

"I knew that he was after Andre's business," she said, "He had been furloughed after Andre's connections pulled some strings for him in Arizona but he just used him to plot the day when he would take over."

"Do you think Andre knew this?"

She nodded then paused before answering.

"I made sure he did," she said, "That last time that Andre left on business, he had his misgivings about leaving but he had a lucrative business deal involving a brothel in South Asia so he left Piser in charge anyway."

"In charge of you?"

She grew silent, then she took a deep breath.

"Until he came back to kill me or he said I would hope he did," she said, "That's when his men caught me trying to escape. I almost made it except for Piser."

"That's why you killed him," Matt said, "So he wouldn't get that chance again."

She nodded.

"But you left him there," Matt said, "And if that's the case, then it still doesn't explain how he wound up floating inside a box off the coast of Washington months later."

"I don't know anything about that," she said, quietly.

* * *

Chris left the bathroom and started to walk to the front when she heard his voice. Andre stood near the back exit of the restaurant and spoke with the two men.

"So do you think that either of these two women know where she is?"

"I couldn't tell, and we're limited in the interrogation tactics we can use in a public place," Andre said.

"I still say we follow that lead we got a few days ago," one man said.

"It wasn't very specific," Andre said, "We need to find out more details before I send another team of men in."

"She's with that man," the man said, "And he's proven to be quite formidable."

"It won't matter," Andre said, "It's only a matter of time until we find out where she is and bring her back to me to deal with."

The men stopped talking and walked out the exit, not knowing that Chris had been standing there listening to every word.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Here's the latest installment. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Fran said.

"I'm serious," Chris said as they waited for Rhonda in the coffee shop.

"He actually said that he might have a lead on where C.J. and Matt are," Fran said, putting sugar in her tea.

Chris nodded. They heard someone coming and looked up to see Rhonda heading toward them.

"I got everything on digital," Rhonda said, sitting down in their booth.

Fran looked at Chris.

"Not everything," Fran said, "Chris overheard Andre talking to his men that they might be closing in on where C.J. is hiding."

"We don't even know where they are," Rhonda said, "How would they find out?"

"Well, if they do, it could put Matt and C.J. in more danger," Chris said.

"I told you that you should have gone to Jonathon with your plan but you didn't listen."

"That meeting was really creepy," Fran said, "That guy gives me a really bad feeling."

Chris nodded.

"So what happened during the part of this adventure that was actually recorded," Rhonda said.

"Oh he gave us some bogus story about wanting to partner with our foundation," Fran said, "But he's after C.J.'s location. He asked questions about her whereabouts in a casual way but Chris shut him down."

"You didn't give him any clues," Rhonda said.

"No, but he gave us a few," Chris said.

Fran nodded.

"He said that he was going to surprise some friends in a warm place," she said, "Maybe that's where he's based."

"Too bad it isn't Hell," Rhonda said.

"He'll get there soon enough," Fran said.

Rhonda shook her head.

"We're in way over our heads with this guy," she said.

"You're right," Chris said, "We might have to talk to Jonathon if there's a chance that Andre is going to find them."

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked back to the main house to meet with Antonio. Bertha let them in and they entered into the dining room where he stood with both Zeke and Brady. When Antonio heard their footsteps, he turned around to face them.

"You're not going to hit me again, are you?"

Matt stepped forward.

"We're here to listen to what you have to say," he said.

"Fair enough," Antonio said, as they sat down at the table. Bertha brought some ice tea in tall glasses for them and some fresh fruit, "As I said the other day, I worked security for Andre and his men at most of his compounds around the world."

"So you know the ins and outs of every place he's based at?"

Antonio nodded.

"Pretty much," he said, "But not all of them. I'm aware that there might be a compound located not too far away from this island chain but I haven't been able to pinpoint where yet."

"And even if you do, you have no way of knowing if he's even there," Matt said.

"That's correct," Antonio said, "We would have to have perfect timing to catch him in this part of the world unless he can be lured here."

"So what did you do for Andre?"

"I guarded his prisoners," he said, looking at C.J, "And I set up some of his security detail at several compounds. Went on several missions for him to secure locations where he could conduct his business."

"You know what his business is, don't you," C.J. said.

"He buys and sells human beings," Antonio said, "and some he keeps for himself."

C.J. looked away at those words and felt Matt slip his hand in hers. She squeezed back.

"So what have you got to sell us," Matt said.

* * *

Jonathon tried to remain in his chair in his office as he faced the three women who told him what had taken place that afternoon.

"Who do you think you are, Charlie's Angels?"

"I guess that makes me Drew Barrymore," Rhonda said.

Jonathon lost his cool and slammed his papers on the desk.

"This operation if you call it that could have jeopardized your lives, not to mention this investigation."

"You just said several days ago that the feds weren't even investigating Andre Duval," Chris said, "That he was not a suspect in any wrongdoing."

"That's the official version of what's going on," Jonathon said, "But we're at a very sensitive stage in the process."

"You've been there since C.J. first crawled out of that river and called you for help, Jonathon," Chris said, "Six months in hiding under an assumed name, two kidnapping attempts and a life on the run and you're still saying the same thing."

"I told all of you that we needed to be patient," Jonathon said, "Methodical if we were going to nail these bad guys."

"So who are these bad guys," Chris asked.

Jonathon looked at the three women.

"I think everyone in this room knows the answer to that question."

"So why are you telling us how dangerous Andre is one second and the next telling us he's not under investigation," Fran said.

"Because it's not as simple as locating him and sending agents to take him into custody," Jonathon said, "We have to build a case against him that we can take to a grand jury so we don't lose him."

* * *

Matt and C.J. sat at the table listening to Antonio's sales pitch.

"How do we know we can trust you," Matt said, "That you're not playing both sides against the middle."

"If my word doesn't mean anything to you," Antonio said, "then you don't but you need inside help locating Duval and penetrating his defenses. That kind of help is going to be difficult to find."

"Because he eliminates his traitors," Matt said, "except for you."

"My relationship with him as an independent contractor puts me on different footing than the others," Antonio said.

"Okay, say that's the case," Matt said, "then you're riding an awfully thin line here."

Antonio nodded.

"And I just have to ask myself, why is that?"

"I have my reasons," Antonio said.

"And…"

"They are not pertinent to any business dealings I have with you."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other.

"How do we determine that without knowing your reasons," Matt said.

"You will just have to trust me," Antonio said.

"Why should we trust you," C.J. said, "I don't trust you, not after what you did."

"I had no choice," he said.

She rose from the table,

"I think I've heard enough," she said, starting to walk away.

"C.J…"

She shook her head at Matt.

"No, this man's taken enough from me already," she said, "He's not taking away what I've got left."

She started walking away.

Antonio stood up.

"Wait a minute," he said.

She stopped and turned around to face him crossing her arms.

"I'll tell you my reasons," Antonio said, "But only you and you can make your decision. If you veto my proposal, I'll walk away."

C.J. looked at Matt.

"Why are you offering this?"

"I guess I owe you that much for my role in what Andre did to you," Antonio said, "The rest of you can wait here."

"Wait a minute," Matt said.

C.J. held up her hand.

"I'll be fine," she said, "I'm not giving this man another chance to betray me. He'll have five minutes to convince me that's not his intention or I'll knock him flat again."

* * *

"So what kind of case are you taking to the grand jury," Chris asked.

"There's several avenues to take," Jonathon said, "There's C.J.'s account of her kidnapping by Duval and then there's the unsolved murder of Semour Piser which might be related."

"Someone's actually investigating the murder of that miserable pimp," Fran said.

"If Andre's responsible for his death," Jonathon said, "It might be the easiest way to get to him."

"But what if Andre didn't actually kill Piser," Chris said, "What if it were someone else?"

Jonathon looked at her.

"There wasn't much from forensics to definitively point to anyone," he said.

"Not even with DNA?"

Jonathon leaned back in his chair.

"There were DNA samples," he said, "But if they don't produce a match from the national database, then they aren't much help."

"So then what will you do?"

"That's where it gets complicated," Jonathon said.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio walked outside on the beach, as the tide began to come in. She had her hands in her pockets and walked quietly. He began telling his story. She didn't want to hear it.

"Okay," she said, raising her hand, "I just want to know what your angle is in all this. Why you're here and why you think you have the right to ask for my help."

"Cutting right to the chase," Antonio said, "Okay, I have my reasons for recruiting you and the others on getting to Andre and stopping him."

C.J. stopped walking.

"Like what," she asked.

"You know he's a monster already," Antonio said, "I shouldn't have to convince you of my reasons."

"You worked for that monster," she said, "Tell me your reasons or I'll walk away right now."

"You know your friend, Houston, was going to shoot me after he heard what I did to you."

That gave her a start.

"Why did you tell him?"

"He had me at gunpoint, demanding that I tell him where you were," Antonio said, "He really believed I knew where to find you. I believe he would have killed me if I hadn't told him that I could help them bring Andre down."

"Maybe he should have done it," she said, "But you're not worth what it would have done to him."

She started walking away. He reached for her arm. She turned around to face him.

"Don't touch me," she said, "or I will kill you. He's not the only one who has a gun and knows how to use it."

"I believe you would do that," Antonio said, "But that's not really you talking. Andre made you that way, didn't he?"

C.J. started walking again.

"You're not the only woman that Andre hurt," Antonio said.

Something in his voice touched her and made her stop. She clenched her hands into fists.

"You're probably right," she said, "He told me he only hurt women who deserved it so there must have been others before me."

"My sister didn't deserve what he did to her," Antonio said.

C.J.'s brow furrowed.

"Your sister?"

He nodded.

"She was 18 when she crossed paths with Andre," he said, "He took a fancy to her like he did you only she didn't run away from it like you did. Not that she didn't try."

C.J. closed her eyes.

"What happened to her?"

"He killed her," Antonio said, "for betraying him. But not right away."

"He would have done the same to me if I hadn't escaped," C.J. said.

"But you did. My sister tried and failed." Antonio said, "That's why he's trying so hard to find you now and he'll kill anyone who stands in his way."

"He's already tried that and he's already hurt people who tried to help me," C.J. said, "That's why we're here."

"But that's only temporary," Antonio said, "He will find you. After all, I did. And that means more people will be hurt or killed. Probably even Houston."

She put her head in her hands.

"I'll leave again before I let that happen," she said, "And this time I won't tell anyone where I'm going."

"Why don't you work with me to bring him down," Antonio said, "If I wanted to betray you, you'd be back with Andre already."

C.J. pulled her jacket around her.

"I don't trust you," she said, "How do I know you're not setting Houston and me up for an even bigger fall?"

He took a deep breath.

"Because if I did that, I would ruin any chance I had of finding my other sister," Antonio said, "She's still under his control."

"Who is she?"

Antonio reached into his wallet and pulled out a worn photograph of a young girl. And C.J. knew then her decision had been made.

* * *

Matt sat with Bertha in the kitchen waiting for C.J. and Antonio to return. An hour had passed and still no sign of them. Brady and Zeke had gone to contact Serena to get more information on what she had uncovered.

"She's okay Matt," Bertha said, "I don't think he's going to harm her."

"He's already done that," Matt said.

She sat down next to him at the table.

"Do you think that there's any way to find Andre and bring him down without Antonio's help?"

"It could be a lot harder if what he says is true," Matt said, "But that's a huge 'if'."

"And you think he might be setting the both of you up to help his boss?"

Matt nodded.

"I don't know if I can take that chance," he said, "Certainly not where C.J.'s concerned. She's been through enough."

"Yes she has," Bertha said, "But she needs to have a chance to go back to her life and she can't as long as Andre's still in control."

Brady and Zeke came back in the room.

"Did you get through to Serena," Bertha asked.

"Yes, we did and she thinks she's gotten some more useful information off the disk," Brady said.

"That's good news," Matt said, "So we'll go meet with her tomorrow."

Brady looked at Zeke.

"The news isn't all good Matt," Brady said, "Serena's been on the wire and she found out that there's a warrant out for your arrest by the feds."

"For what," Bertha said, looking back and forth between them.

"Obstruction of an investigation," Matt said, "I was threatened with that a while ago."

"It's not likely they'll come out here even if they find out where 'here' is," Brady said, "But we've got to be careful."

"Careful of what?"

The four of them looked up as C.J. and Antonio entered the kitchen.

* * *

"Chris, Jonathon is right. The three of you were way over your head."

She watched as Dan paced in their living room after she had told him what had happened at the restaurant.

"I had to do something Dan," Chris said, "Matt and C.J. will never be able to come home unless someone actually does something to incriminate Andre Duval."

"But that's not going to be you, Chris," Dan said, "You're not trained to do this kind of work. And Andre's an extremely dangerous man whose got C.J. and now Matt in his crosshairs for whatever reason and he won't stop until he finds them."

"I know that," Chris said.

"And he'll use anyone to get any information that will lead him to them," Dan said, "And if you don't have the experience and skills, you'll wind up giving him what he needs without even knowing it."

Chris sighed as she sat down on the couch.

"All I wanted to do was to help them," she said, "And I overheard him telling his men that he will find them. I believe him."

"Which is why we have to let Jonathon and the feds do their job with this investigation," Dan said, "I know it's frustrating how slow these investigations proceed. Hell, it used to frustrate me when I was a cop but that's the way it works."

"But it's not working," Chris said, "It's been months and this creep is still free and our friends aren't."

"I'm not disagreeing with you that something's wrong," he said, embracing her, "There's just not much we can do about it."

* * *

Matt and the others looked up at C.J. and Antonio, who sat down at the table beside them.

"Oh...nothing," Matt said, looking at the others who nodded in agreement.

"We were talking just in general," Brady said. C.J. appeared satisfied with that.

"So what's the verdict," Matt asked.

C.J. looked at Antonio and then back at him.

"I think we need his help at bringing down Andre," she said.

They all looked at her in surprise.

"Why the change in heart," Brady said.

She paused for a moment then looked at Antonio. He pulled the photograph out of his pocket and placed it on the table in front of him.

"This is my sister," he said, "She still is with Andre."

Matt picked up the photograph of the young girl and looked at it.

"How long ago was this taken?"

"The last time I saw her before I went into the military," Antonio said, "She should be in her late teens now."

"How did she end up with Andre?"

"My parents fell into hard times when I left and there was a drought on the farm, killed the crops and animals. They must have been desperate."

"They sold her?"

Antonio nodded.

"She was about eight at the time," he said, "She was bought by a middle man and wound up put into domestic service for Andre. When I got back from the service, I went to the village and found out what happened. I searched everywhere for her. Took odd jobs, moved from place to place when I found leads. It took a long time to find out where she was and more time to be hired by Andre. He vets his men very carefully."

"Then what," Matt said, "Did you find her?"

"No, but I heard more information about her," Antonio said, "The day that I crossed paths with C.J., I heard that she had arrived at that location to work directly with Antonio."

"Did you see her," Bertha asked.

He shook his head.

"No, I had just missed her," he said.

"That must have been very difficult," she said, "To come so close and not see your own sister."

Matt gave the photograph back.

"So you want us to help you find your sister, in exchange for helping us?"

"Yes," Antonio said, "We're in a situation where our cooperation with each other can be mutually beneficial and also get the job done more effectively with less risk."

"Does she even know that you're trying to find her," Matt said.

"I don't think so," Antonio said, "But I do know she probably misses her family even after what's happened."

"How do you know if you return her to them they won't just sell her again?"

"She will stay with me," Antonio said, "I can make enough to provide for both of us. Pay for her to go to school in the United States."

"What's her name?"

"Elena."

Matt turned to look at C.J. in surprise at the sound of her voice answering his question.

"You know her?"

She nodded.

"She saved my life," she said, "I never would have been able to escape without her."

* * *

Elena worked hard at her desk but her mind drifted elsewhere. She heard the footsteps behind her and knew that Andre had arrived. He dropped some papers on her desk.

"It's just some contracts that need to be amended before they are signed," he said.

She looked at them then placed them aside.

"When do you need them finished?"

"The end of the day will be fine," he said.

He started to leave, then paused.

"Are you happy here?"

She turned around and looked at her employer.

"Why of course I am," she said, "I am very treated and live very well."

He walked behind her.

"You would never leave me, would you?"

She shook her head.

"Oh no, why would I? Where would I go that would be better than here?"

"That's good to hear," he said, "You would tell me if it were otherwise."

She nodded.

"I know you miss her," she said, "the woman who left."

"She will be returning soon," he said.

"Does she want this?"

"You will learn that women seldom know what they really want or need," Andre said, "Or what's best for them or their place in life."

"She seemed so unhappy here."

He looked at the younger woman.

"What's troubling you," he asked, "Did she tell you anything while she was here?"

Elena shook her head.

"No, she didn't," she said, "No not a thing."

She watched as he left the room, leaving her alone.

* * *

"I want to help her," C.J. said, "And if that means helping him, then I'm willing to do it."

Matt looked at the others.

"Okay, so how do we find out where Elena is?"

"I don't know," Antonio said, "I do know Andre keeps her close to him these days. She works as his assistant."

"So if we find her," Matt said, "We'll probably find Andre nearby."

"She was assigned to watch over me where I was kept," C.J. said, "I don't think I would have made it if it hadn't been for her visits."

Antonio sighed.

"I don't want anything to happen to her," he said, "I already lost another sister to Andre. He killed her after she tried to escape several years ago. She had been missing for years but I never knew what happened to her until it was too late."

"Which is what would have happened to me eventually, if Piser or any of Andre's men had caught me," C.J. said, "I say that we find Elena and bring Andre down."

The other men thought about it.

"If you don't want to do it, I'll understand," she said, "But my mind is made up and I will do whatever it takes to do both of those things even if you don't get involved."

Matt paused and the others waited for him to say something.

"So where do we start," he said finally.

And with that, the planning began.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38---Here's the latest installment of this very, very long story. Hope you like it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

C.J. threw Antonio off of her back and onto the ground. He sprung back onto his feet, brushed the sand off of his pants and looked at her.

"Not bad," he said, "You have pretty good defense skills."

"It felt good," she said, looking at him.

"I imagine," he said, dryly, "Where did you get your training?"

"From Houston mostly," she said, "He was trained in the military."

"He must be very good," Antonio said, "In self-defense and in teaching it."

"The best," C.J. said, "He's a man who values women and wants them to be able to protect themselves rather than having to rely on others to rescue them."

"Your skills could still use some work," Antonio said, "You have really good leg strength? That's especially important for women."

C.J. brushed her hands.

"I could demonstrate it on you and you could tell me what you think."

He studied her.

"You don't really like me, do you?"

She stared back.

"I don't really know you," she said, "But first impressions can be very powerful."

He nodded.

"Well we're going to have to trust each other if we're going to work together," he said.

C.J. thought about that.

"It's like this, Antonio. If you behave yourself as a member of this team and don't do anything to harm Matt or anyone else, then you should be fine."

"What about you?

"I think that goes without saying," she said.

"Fair enough," Antonio said, "Now that we've come to an understanding. Why don't we take a break for a few minutes?"

C.J. wiped her face with her towel and then threw it down.

* * *

Serena looked up at Matt and Brady.

"It's right here," she said, bringing up the notice on the computer, "Your arrest warrant."

Matt and Brody looked at it on the screen and then looked at Serena.

"How did you get this," Matt asked.

"It wasn't that hard, except it was put out only a few hours ago."

Matt and Brady had traveled to the village to meet with Serena about information she had discovered. The news of the warrant hadn't really surprised Matt, as he figured that one would be filed against him eventually. It was hardly the first of its kind during his eventful investigative career.

"I doubt the feds are going to be looking down here very hard," he said.

"Not likely," Serena agreed, "Not unless you're a serial killer."

"No, just someone who's not about to cooperate with an agency that nearly put C.J. back into the hands of her kidnapper twice in a 24 hour period."

"Yes, the U.S. Marshal's office had some rogue agents, didn't they?"

Matt nodded.

"Two including a supervisor," he said, "But they're both dead. We just couldn't afford to wait to find out if they had any friends."

"This Duval must have some friends of his own in high places to pull that off," Serena said.

"It might be through someone in his country's consulate," Matt said, "He did spend some years working as a diplomat's aide, I believe."

"Probably made it easier for him to get his business up and running especially with the immunity that gives him in some countries."

"That and his father leaving him his entire arsenal when he and his other son went to prison," Matt said, "The thing is, I am pretty sure he left him some land too, to set up a home base for operations or several of them."

"How much land did his father have?"

"He didn't say during my encounter with him but it sounded like he had access to islands all over," Matt said, "Including in the Caribbean."

"It might be on the disk," Serena said, "It's old and it's got some encryption on it but I did find a list of resources probably traceable back to his father. Maybe some land will show up as well."

"Keep on it," Matt said, "We've got to find out if he's got a base down here and if he spends any time at it."

She nodded.

"Sure thing," she said, running her fingers across the keyboard.

* * *

Chris read through another file that Murray had brought in for the federal agencies to pick up for the audit. It was another charity organization that the foundation had received funding from during the past year. She hoped it was legitimate but it was hard to know for sure.

She heard a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said, without looking.

"How's the audit going?"

Chris held her temper in check at the sound of Scott's voice.

"I thought you were heading back to the coast and we were finally rid of you."

Scott clucked his tongue.

"Now now, that's not a nice way to address a colleague."

She turned around to face him.

"We're only colleagues until Matt comes back and fires you or you get arrested, whatever comes first."

Scott sat down in a chair.

"Neither is going to happen," he said, "Matt knows I'm dropping the assault matter and I've done nothing wrong except attend a charity event that you also did."

"I met with your real boss, Andre yesterday."

"For the foundation, right?"

"In a way yes," Chris said, "Andre said he was interested in partnering with the foundation. Of course, that's what he said."

"Do you have any reason to doubt him?"

"I do," she said, "And I'd tell you why but if I did, you'd just go running off to your master to tell him."

Scott sighed.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't work for the man," he said, "I never did. I don't know what C.J. told you but she's wrong or she's lying."

"Why do you assume it was C.J.?"

"Only because before she disappeared, she had it in for me for some reason."

"Scott, you're a snake. You really are a piece of work. And it's too bad when Matt knocked you on the ground, he didn't knock any sense into you."

"Now, that's not a very nice thing to say. I've been friends with Matt longer than you have and I've been very loyal to him and his interests."

"Well I could test you to see who you really are loyal to and tell you why I distrust Andre and then see if Andre responds."

"Chris, I am loyal to Houston Industries first."

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right," she said, "If C.J. knows that you betrayed her, she's probably already told Matt by now."

Scott's jaw remained fixed.

"There's nothing for her to tell him unless she's delusional or lying."

"She did tell me she was suspicious of you not long before she disappeared, Scott."

"Like I just told you, delusional or lying."

"So she tells me she's concerned about you and then she goes off to meet someone one night and then disappears for six months?"

"Who's to say where she really disappeared to," Scott said, "If she disappeared at all."

Roy stuck his head in the door.

"Am I missing something here," he said, bringing in some coffee to Chris.

She accepted it gratefully.

"Scott was just leaving," she said, "Weren't you Scott?"

"I am finished here," he said.

Roy brightened.

"That's really good timing on your part," he said, "because you have some federal agents waiting to speak with you in your office."

Scott started to say something then thought better of it when he saw Chris' face.

"Now run along, you don't want to keep them waiting."

* * *

C.J. sat at the table eating lunch with Bertha as Matt and Brady walked up to them.

"Where's Antonio," Matt said.

"He's on an errand," C.J. said, "He'll be back."

"How did your training session go?"

"I think he was surprised that I didn't pass out the first hour or something like that," she said, "So what did you find out from Serena."

Matt looked at Brady.

"Everything's fine," he said, "She said she's pulled more information off the disk on resources that Andre might have been receiving from his father. Hopefully, that list will include land that Duval, Sr. owned."

She nodded.

"What about the charities?"

"He was probably using them to launder some of his ill-gotten money," Matt said, "I think it's likely he's doing something similar with his current business."

"Maybe we can get that information from Chris," C.J. said, "It's too bad that we can't just call her."

"I know," Matt said, "But maybe we could have Serena find us a secure communication line and send a care package from here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, send some information that we've uncovered to the feds but not allow them to trace it back here."

C.J. paused.

"Okay," she said, "I'll send some information too."

"You don't have to," Matt said.

"I know, but I want to do this," she said, "I think I'm ready."

He nodded.

"I'll go start working on it," she said and left the table.

"I think this will be good for her," Bertha said.

"I hope so," Matt said.

* * *

Chris sat in her office with Fran and Rhonda eating Thai takeout at her desk.

"I guess they're questioning Scott right now," Chris said, putting some rice into her mouth with her chopsticks.

Fran shook her head.

"I just wish they would arrest his butt already," she said, "I'm getting sick and tired of looking at him."

"Me too, but you know that they can't do anything unless they can get evidence and build some kind of case against him."

Rhonda reached for the chicken satay.

"Jonathan was so steamed about your meeting with Andre," she said.

"He'd be better off focusing his frustration on the bad guys," Chris said.

"He's just trying to do his job, Chris," Rhonda said, "He cares about this as much as any of us. He used to be in love with C.J."

"Why are you spending so much time defending him anyway," Fran said.

"He's kind of cute," Rhonda said.

Both women looked at her.

"You've got to be kidding," Fran said, "We're trying to get the goods on the bad guys and help Matt and C.J. and you're trying to make some sort of love connection with G-Man."

"I don't think technically he's a G-Man."

Fran rolled her eyes.

"I'm not doing anything but what you're trying to do," Rhonda said, "But face it, we're not much closer than we were before."

"We know that Andre's looking for them," Chris said, "If we could just find out where."

"Hopefully, not anywhere near where Matt and C.J. are hiding out," Fran said.

"He seemed to believe he was getting close," Chris said, "And he's left the country and his office wouldn't say where he went."

"That's strange," Rhonda said, "What's the big secret about the CEO's itinerary?"

"He obviously left them orders not to disclose his whereabouts," Chris said.

"I wonder if Scott knows," Fran said.

* * *

Scott sat back in his chair while FBI Agent Simon Denton interrogated him with another agent wearing an identical dark suit also sitting in the room.

"Why do you keep asking me the same questions?"

Simon clasped his fingers together.

"You aren't a suspect, Mr. Prescow," he said, "But you are and have been a person of interest to the FBI."

"Why," he said, "On what grounds?"

"You attended the fundraiser held by Andrico Duval."

Scott leaned forward.

"Wait a minute," he said, "Didn't you tell me he's not suspected of any crime either?"

"Yes we did," Denton said, "But we do want to know why you were there."

"Anyone who's anyone in Houston attended that gala."

"Are you 'anyone'?"

Scott's mouth hung open.

"I'm an employee of Houston Industries which oversees a foundation for women and that organization's board members attended that event."

"Are you on the board of that foundation?"

"No, but I am a person greatly concerned about the plight of women," Scott said.

"I see," Denton said, "Have you ever worked for Andrico Duval in any capacity?"

Scott paused.

"No I have not."

"Never?"

Scott shook his head.

"What part of 'no' do you not understand," he said, "I have never been employed by Mr. Duval."

Denton looked at his partner.

"Can I go now," Scott asked.

Denton shook his head.

* * *

C.J. sat at the table in her bungalow typing her narrative on a lap top computer of what had happened to her after she had left the L.A. offices of Houston Industries to meet someone who had contacted her. Sections of her account flowed quickly, easily from her fingertips but other parts came much more slowly. She left some parts of the narrative blank so that she could return to them later. Tears threatened a couple of times but she brushed them back before they could get started and kept typing.

At some point, she stopped to get some juice from the refrigerator. She drank it down quickly and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

* * *

She saw herself in a hospital bed, with a pad of paper and a pen in hand.

"What are you writing," someone asked.

She looked up and saw Matt looking down at her after he had entered her room holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand

"Those are really beautiful," she said, "I'll ask for a vase."

"No it's okay," he said, sitting down beside her bed.

"It's a letter to the State Bar asking if I can retake the third day of the test again."

Matt furrowed his brow.

"Don't they hold the test a few times a year anyway?"

She nodded.

"But I don't know when the next one's scheduled," she said, "And I want to pass the Bar as quickly as possible so I can appear in court as part of my new job."

He smiled.

"Working with me," he said, "Don't worry about that until you get out of the hospital and get better. We'll decide how to handle it and only if you didn't pass."

"I don't really even remember the last day of the test," she said, "Except for the surgeon yelling at me at the hospital."

"C.J., he was just concerned because you didn't come in when you first had signs of appendicitis," Matt said, "They got to it just in time."

C.J. winced as she leaned back into her pillow.

"I had to finish the test to pass it," she said, "I don't remember much of what happened."

"You missed a lot of excitement," Matt said, "It was quite a hectic day, with the power outage, the huge traffic gridlock and having to be flown by helicopter from that restaurant."

"Restaurant?"

"Yes, a nice little Italian place run by a very nice lady," Matt said, "She's very concerned about you . She calls the office every day to see how you're doing."

C.J. smiled, wishing she had remembered meeting that lady who became a close friend to her and Matt, not that it had really made any difference. As it turned out, she had passed the bar and was sworn in as an attorney not long after that. Matt had attended the event and had then taken her out to dinner at the Italian restaurant to celebrate, complete with gelato compliments of the management. They had been regular customers for several years until it had closed its doors.

She walked back to the table and continued typing.

* * *

Matt and Antonio walked on the beach after Antonio had returned from his errand.

"So this woman found something on the disk which will help us find Andre's location?"

"She found an inventory of items given to Andre by his father, Marquis," Matt said, "Hopefully that will include property."

"I see," Antonio said, "It's possible that he could have a base in this region then."

Matt nodded.

"But we don't know that for sure."

"We must find out and if so, find out if he's there."

"We might have to lure him there," Matt said.

"The feds are looking for you, no" Antonio asked.

Matt stopped.

"Yes they are," he said, "How do you know?"

"I have my sources within the DOJ," Antonio said, "And so does Duval."

"So we found out," Matt said, "They issued an arrest warrant against me for obstruction of an investigation."

Antonio studied him.

"And you're keeping this under your belt."

"So to speak," Matt said, "I don't want C.J. to know. She'll worry about it and she's got more than enough on her plate already."

"If she finds out that you're in danger, she's going to run."

Matt narrowed his eyes.

"I know," he said, "Did she tell you?"

"Yes," Antonio said, "Although in this case, she might turn herself in to the feds."

"She can't do that," Matt said, "or else Andre's going to find her."

"He will," Antonio agreed, "But he's going to find her anyway, eventually."

"That's why we have to find him and get to him first."

"We can find a way to do that," Antonio said, "But we have to find a way to do it quickly."

"What about your sister," Matt said, "Would she be with him?"

"Most likely," Antonio said, "As I've said, the latest I heard about her was that she worked as an assistant to him."

"So Andre must not know that she helped C.J. escape from him."

Antonio shook his head.

"No, or else he would have killed her," he said, "Elena must be very smart but she could be in danger if he does find out."

"There's no way to find her and make contact with her without Andre getting wind of it?"

"I doubt it," Antonio said, "He keeps his compounds and everyone inside them locked up tight."

* * *

Scott pulled at his collar.

"Are we making you nervous," Denton asked.

"You are boring me," Scott said, "You agents ask the same questions over and over each time. I have nothing more to tell you than what I've said already."

"We're nearly done," Denton said, looking at his partner who nodded, "For now."

Scott looked at his watch.

"That's very good because I have a meeting in about 20 minutes that I'm going to have to rush to make."

"Did you betray that Ms Parsons was working with the DHS and the FBI to anyone?"

Scott looked stunned. Denton raised his brows.

"No I did not," Scott said.

The door opened and Scott looked up to see Jonathan enter and flash his badge at Denton.

"Why are you here," Denton said.

"I need to ask him a couple of questions, when you're done," Jonathan said.

"Piggy backing off of our interview again?"

"It looks like it's wrapping up," Jonathan said.

Denton and the other agent stood up.

"Okay we're done here, for now," Denton told Scott, "but I wouldn't leave town right now if I were you without contacting our office."

"But you said I'm not a suspect," Scott said as the two men left.

Jonathan sat down opposite from him.

"But you are a person of interest to both our agencies," he said.

Scott slunk in his chair.

* * *

C.J. took the thumb drive out of the computer and put it in her purse. Matt entered into the bungalow and saw her standing by the table, closing the lap top.

"You finished already," he asked.

She nodded and handed him the thumb drive from her purse. He put it in his bag.

"Are you all right," he said.

She sat down on the couch and he sat down beside her.

"I think so," she said, "It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to write it down but it wasn't easy. I really hope it helps."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned towards him.

"I'll make sure to tell Jonathan that this is a condition of him receiving it when I contact him."

She turned to look at him.

"Isn't that risky to contact them directly," she asked.

"Serena's going to help us use a secured line to contact him," Matt said, "it won't be traceable."

"What if he asks me to come in," C.J. said, "I don't want to do that. I can't."

"We'll make it clear that's not possible until Andre's been taken care of one way or another."

"Houston, Jonathan or the FBI could take action against you," she said, "They could turn you into the criminal by claiming that you're blocking their efforts."

"C.J., don't worry about me okay," he said, "They've proven that you're not safe in their custody so that's not an option."

She looked at him, then nodded.

"I feel much safer with you than I ever did with them," she said.

"They've got some house cleaning to do before that changes," Matt said.

"We'd better get to the village while Serena's still waiting," she said.

* * *

Scott watched as Jonathon stared at him for a minute.

"What," Scott said, "I thought you had some questions to ask me."

"I'm just trying to remember them," Jonathan said, "Oh yes, we can get started. The sooner you answer them, the sooner you can continue on with your day."

Scott sighed.

"That's what the FBI promised."

"I'm a much better forecaster than they are," Jonathon said, "Now, how long have you been asking for Andrico Duval?"

Scott looked at him and started to stand up.

"Sit down, Mr. Prescow," Jonathon said, and Scott sat down.

"I don't work for him," Scott said, "That's what I keep telling you guys."

"Okay so you don't work for him now," Jonathon said, "We already established between you and I that you did work for him some years ago while attending Harvard Law in Boston."

"What…"

"Cut the song and dance," Jonathan said, "You think you're really a tough guy, being strong to protect your boss, but you know what Scott?"

"Am I supposed to say 'what'?"

"I'm willing to bet that Semour Piser thought he was tough too. Thought if he was patient enough and stayed below Andre's radar long enough, he could finagle his business away. Probably all the way up to the moment he wound up dead."

"So you think this Duval character, a respected businessman killed that ex-pimp, Piser?"

Jonathan interlocked his fingers and looked at Scott.

"You have any different information?"

Scott shook his head.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he said, "or trying to insinuate."

"Do you know who killed Piser?"

"No, why should I," Scott said, "I didn't even know Piser was working for him."

"We still haven't established that he did," Jonathan said, "But I believe that you're lying when you said that you did not work for Duval."

"I didn't work for him," Scott said, "How many times am I going to have to repeat that?"

"You won't convince me no matter how many times you repeat yourself," Jonathon said, "Now let's move on to the next question."

"Which is?"

"What did you get in return when you handed over C.J. to Duval?"

* * *

Matt and C.J. arrived at the village and walked up the stairs to Serena's office. After a couple knocks, she answered the door. She led them over to her work station and explained to them the process of using technology which would enable them to make contact with others and not be traced. C.J. and Matt lost track of what she said about halfway through her explanation but were convinced anyway that it would work.

Matt handed her the thumb drive with C.J.'s declaration on it. She pushed some buttons and handed him a phone. He pressed the buttons to reach Jonathan's cell phone.

"It might take a little while," Serena said.

* * *

Scott glowered at Jonathan, who asked him some more questions after he denied knowing anything about what had happened to C.J. let alone being involved in her kidnapping. Jonathan knew he was lying and that the chances were slim that he would get a confession out of the stubborn man today. He knew it wasn't just defiance that kept Scott from spilling the truth, it was mostly fear of what would happen to him when Andre found out. Fear that probably had intensified after learning that Piser had been stashed inside a box that had washed up to shore several months ago and for all he knew, even earlier than that.

"Are you afraid of what your boss would do if you told us what you did and what you know?"

Scott looked at him as if he hadn't heard the question. Jonathon sighed, realizing that his agency had shown the world how much its record of keeping witnesses safe had suffered under his watch.

His phone rang. He reached to flip it open and saw an unknown phone number under Caller ID. He frowned and responded anyway.

"Hello, this is Jonathon."

"Jonathon, this is Matt."

The agent nearly dropped the phone.

"What the hell do you think you're doing," Jonathan said, before controlling himself, "And where are you?"

"I'm not going to help you there and you won't be able to trace this phone call. I've got something to tell you. Are you ready to listen?"

Jonathan closed his eyes and counted to ten before responding.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39 Here's another installment of the story. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

Jonathon opened his eyes.

"Yes, I'm ready to listen," he said to Matt.

"Okay, pay attention because I'm ending this phone call sooner than you can trace it."

"Gotcha," Jonathon said.

He looked at Scott who sat in his chair looking up at him.

"Excuse me, I have to take this outside," Jonathan said, "I'll be right back so we can continue our discussion."

"Take your time," Scott said, "I've already missed my meeting."

Jonathan stepped outside his office into the hallway.

"Okay, what have you got to say in so little time?"

"I want to know how your investigation of Andre Duval is progressing."

"You know that we've got nothing on that guy on this end," Jonathan said, "I am interrogating your employee, Scott Prescow right now in his office."

"When I'm finished talking, you can return to your conversation with him," Matt said, "So there's no progress in your investigation of Duval?"

Jonathan sighed.

"You know the answer to that," he said, "and you and C.J. aren't helping matters by staying lost as you call it."

"You know she can't come in until you clean your agency out from under its agents who are on Duval's payroll."

"I.A. is in the process of doing that, on orders of the Attorney General himself," Jonathan said, "But it's looking better so far."

"I'm not holding my breath," Matt said, "And we're not coming in any time soon."

"Then what do you plan to do," Jonathan said, "You can't stay in hiding forever."

"We're not planning to," Matt said, "We're going after Duval on our own."

"You're what," Jonathan said, then lowered his voice, "You can't go after a man like that."

"Wait a minute, Jonathan," Matt said, "You just told me he's too clean cut to even investigate. So don't investigate, but we're going after him and when we're done, we'll bring what's left of him back to your door step."

"He'll kill you first."

"He won't get the chance," Matt said, "not this time, because your men are not around."

Jonathan paused.

"We have a warrant out for your arrest," he said, "For obstructing an investigation and interfering with a witness."

"You have a choice Jonathan," Matt said, "You can hunt me down like a criminal or you can go out and capture yourselves a real one."

"It's not that easy, Matt," Jonathan said, "It's much easier to go off and be a renegade like yourself than to do it by the book to bring the guy into a legal system stacked in favor of men like him."

"Well, you see that's where I have a problem with your 'book'," Matt said, "When people like Duval don't play by it and innocent people like C.J. pay the price for that."

"How is she doing," Jonathan said.

"Better than she was a few days ago."

"She needs to talk to us," Jonathan said.

"She can't do that right now," Matt said, "But she's willing to do the next best thing and that's send you an account of her eyewitness testimony."

"What do you mean?"

"It will be coming through electronically through a secure channel so don't bother tracing its source," Matt said, "In it, will be what you need to know about Duval and his associates including the one that's waiting for you in his office."

"Scott?"

"And do us a favor after you read it," Matt said, "Take what's in it and actually do something with it. Don't sit on it."

"Matt wait…"

"See you around,"

Jonathon listened to the phone line click. He put his phone away and then returned into the office to talk to Scott.

* * *

Matt handed the phone back to Serena.

"They shouldn't be able to trace it back here," she said, clicking away on the keyboard.

"What did Jonathan have to say," C.J. asked.

"Not much," Matt said, "Except he's not very happy because we're not coming in."

C.J. folded her arms.

"Did you tell him about the plan to go after Andre?"

"He's even less happy about that," Matt said.

"I tried it their way," she said, "And everyone around me was a target. Jed, Dan. You."

"I do think Jonathan knows they've got to clean their own house first," Matt said, "And they've taken steps to do that but it's not enough."

"I have the information that C.J. provided for his office," Serena said, "He'll get it in about 20 minutes."

"We'd better get going," Matt said, reaching for C.J.'s hand, "Thanks again, Serena."

* * *

Jonathan sat back in the chair and stared at Scott, who fidgeted in his own chair.

"Do you have any more questions," Scott said, "or did that phone call put an end to them?"

"I'm finished for now," Jonathan said, "Some new evidence has emerged that I have to review before we resume this interview."

"What kind of evidence?"

"I haven't seen it yet," Jonathan said, "But remember what the FBI agents told you about sticking around. That advice also comes from the U.S. Marshal's office."

"You can't detain me like this," Scott said.

"You're not detained," Jonathan said, "You have all of Houston at your disposal. You just can't leave town without checking in with us first."

"There are laws against treating people like this," Scott said.

"There's laws against what happened to C.J. too," Jonathan said, "Good day."

Jonathan bumped into Chris and Roy as he left Scott's office. They both turned to watch him leave after he gave them both a brief nod.

"He seems to be in a hurry to rush off some place," Chris said.

"Yes indeed," Roy said, "I wonder if it has anything to do with his interrogation of Scott."

They poked their heads in Scott's office where he still sat. He looked up at them.

"Well as you can see, the feds have come and gone and I'm still sitting here."

Chris and Roy looked at each other.

"Jonathan left really quickly," Chris said, "I wonder why."

"Most likely because after asking me questions, he knew I am innocent and have been innocent of any wrongdoing all along."

"They'll be back with more questions," she said, "And one day, they're going to haul you off to jail in handcuffs."

Scott laughed.

"That will never happen," he said, "Because I've done nothing illegal and they've got no evidence otherwise."

* * *

They left the village and walked back to their encampment in the peaceful darkness. Matt looked over at C.J. who seemed lost in her thoughts. Suddenly, she broke the silence.

"I wonder what Jonathan will think when he reads my declaration."

"He'll know the truth," Matt said, "And he'll no longer have any excuses to keep from going after Duval."

"I'm not sure it will matter," she said, "What I've had to say hasn't so far."

"At least he knows," Matt said, "What he does with the information will define his agency's intentions in all this."

"I do feel better having written it all down," C.J. said, "Though it was hard in certain parts to relive it."

"That was one of the reasons I told Jonathan not to sit on it," Matt said, "Because of the cost it takes even to write it down."

"I know Jonathan in his heart wants to do the right thing," she said, "But he's got procedures and rules to follow that he can't get around as easily as we can."

"He might find that his rules won't allow him to get close to Andre Duval at all and then he'll have a decision to make."

"Maybe…" C.J. said, then changed the subject, "Serena's very nice to put herself on the line for us. What she's doing isn't exactly legal."

"She's too good to get caught," Matt said, "And she does have a strong sense of what's right in this world and what's not."

"She definitely thinks you're all right," C.J. said, smiling.

"Yes she does and there were definitely moments…but we decided not to pursue them."

C.J. raised a brow.

"Who made that decision, if I might ask?"

He paused.

"Serena's fiancé disappeared at sea during a storm about a week before they were going to be married. They never found his body or his boat." Matt said, "I think when I made my entrance into town, I reminded her of him."

"And you'd lost your own fiancée in a matter of speaking…"

He nodded.

"How tragic for her," C.J. said, "I know what it's like to lose someone you love."

"Fortunately, we figured out where our feelings were really coming from before they went further," Matt said, "It never would have worked out. We're actually very different and I had a life to return to."

"I see," C.J. said, "And now we're back here."

He smiled.

"Like I said, I have a life to return to."

"Do you really believe that we'll be able to return back to our lives and pick them up where we left off?"

He thought about it.

"I'm not sure things will be exactly the same," he said, "Hopefully they'll be better."

"I don't know if I'm ready to go back," C.J. said, "I don't know if I'll ever be though I want to so badly."

He reached out for her hand and she took his in her own, holding it close.

"It's not going to be easy C.J.," Matt said, "But we're all going to be there and support you through all this."

She nodded as they continued walking, listening to the waves crashing on shore in the distance.

* * *

Chris picked the pretzels out of the snack bowl.

"I really hope Scott gets what's coming to him," she said.

"I think he will," Rhonda said, "It's just a matter of time and I think his time's running out."

"The FBI's interviewed him at least twice," Chris said, "but nothing so far."

"He's pretty slick," Rhonda said, sipping her drink, "He clearly worked for Duval but the feds aren't even looking closely at him."

"I don't know about that," Chris said, "I think they're looking at him and just not telling us."

Fran came back with some more buffalo wings.

"I stole some from the guys," she said, "They're too busy watching the Oilers to even notice."

"Look at us, a bunch of football widows," Chris said, taking some wings, "Still Dan's really happy that he's finally been cleared to work."

"You finally got him out of the house," Fran said, sipping her beer.

"This just drives me crazy," Rhonda said, "I hoped that the FBI would finally nail Scott when they met with him today."

"They can't, Rhonda," Fran said, "They don't got anything on him."

Chris picked up a chicken wing.

"You know, I doubt that Scott is nearly as confident as he's trying to sound."

The other women looked at Chris.

"You're probably right," Fran said, "I think it's a cover."

"He's probably really shaking in his boots," Chris said, "Which means at some point…"

"He's going to try to contact his boss, Andre," Fran said.

"I wish we could find out how he does that," Rhonda said.

"There must be a way," Chris said, "We just have to put our heads together and think of it."

* * *

Jonathon sat in his office after his interview with Scott, reading through some more files. What he wanted to do was pound his fist through his desk much like he had wanted to against Scott's face an hour ago. He knew that Scott had lied to both him and the FBI agents but he couldn't prove it to himself let alone his supervisors. In his desk, he kept a copy of a resignation letter he had drafted over the past several months that he hadn't submitted. He did take it out of his desk to reread occasionally during moments like this one. So far each time, he put it back.

He reached to open his drawer when suddenly, Brad knocked on his door.

"Come in," Jonathan said.

Brad entered.

"Something just came over for you," Brad said, "Some electronic documents, for your eyes only."

Jonathan nodded.

"Thanks Brad, "I'll access them right now."

After Brad left, Jonathan went to his computer and typed some commands and logged into his secured account. Waiting for him, was the documents that Matt had informed him would be coming. He clicked the mouse to open them and started reading.

"I, C.J. Parsons being of sound mind make the following declaration of events under penalty of perjury…"

* * *

They sat in the kitchen, eating fish and vegetables with the other men after returning from the village.

"So how do you think the feds will respond," Brady said, "That is if you can even trust them."

"Hopefully, they'll be a bit more proactive than they've been so far," Matt said, "But we've still got to move forward with our planning."

"What did Serena say about the disk?"

"What she told us this morning," Matt said, "She said it's listing assets that Andre Duval received from his father and that probably will include parcels of land or even islands."

"We've got to get more definitive information," Zeke said, "We could do a survey of the islands around her ourselves for starters. "

"It's going to take some time," Brody said, "And the islands in this area aren't candidates. If there is one, it would be further away."

C.J. removed dishes and took them to join Bertha at the sink.

"How are things going," Bertha asked.

"Okay," C.J. said, "We sent the information I typed out to Jonathan at the Marshal's office."

"That must have been difficult for you to do," Bertha said, "but I think it was an important step."

C.J. nodded as she dipped a dish in the soapy water.

"Yeah, it did help a lot," she said, "I don't know what Jonathan's going to do with it."

"You're worried about him?"

"A bit," C.J. said, "The night I first crossed paths with Andre, I also met Jonathan."

"That was him who was trapped in the basement with your friend," Bertha said.

"Yes, we barely made it out of the fire that men sent by Andre's father started to clean up his mess."

"And you and Jonathan were part of that mess."

"Yes," C.J. said, handing a dish to Bertha who wiped it dry, "Years later, Houston and I were kidnapped by Duval's father and I had no idea our paths had crossed before in a matter of speaking. I don't think he guessed either."

"Life is funny like that," Bertha said, "How our paths cross with others sometimes more than once in significant ways. There are no accidents."

* * *

Jonathon took a deep breath, held it in then exhaled loudly. He had finished reading the declaration written by C.J. in one sitting. He was drawn into it immediately and couldn't put it down, even canceling a meeting with his supervisor who had buzzed him twice since asking him what was so important. Now that he had read it, he had to figure out what to do next and whether he had the fortitude to do it and put his career at risk.

Brad stuck his head in.

"Chad really needs to talk to you," he said, "and please if you could respond to him this time so he'll leave Sally and me alone."

"Are you still working on the Davis case?"

"Just wrapping it up," Brad said, "It will be on your desk in the morning."

"When you're finished, I need you to type up a request to send a team out to Washington to look at a crime scene I already contacted them and they're on their way but the main office wants something in writing."

Brad stood in the doorway, looking at him quizzically.

"Not the one on the Parson's case, is it," he said, "We went in there and left months ago."

"We need to go back in more thoroughly this time," Jonathan said, "Something tells me we missed a lot of things."

"Okay boss," Brad said, before leaving.

Jonathon thought about what he would tell Chad. The men's styles of communication and methodology contrasted and they had clashed repeatedly since Jonathan had been assigned to work under Chad not long after his previous supervisor's demise in the explosion in D.C. As fallout from that, he and Chad watched each other like hawks, but it wasn't personal. They both watched their own agents the same way. No more rogue agents had popped out of the woodwork, but both men knew you could never be too careful and they didn't want their Professional Integrity division sending agents to knock on their doors again.

He picked up the phone.

"Chad, this is Jonathan, I need to set up a meeting with you as soon as possible."

* * *

Scott looked through his drawers in his desk, pulling out papers then discarding them. Roy walked into his office and stood there, watching him.

"Looking for something?"

At the sound of his voice, Scott popped his head up.

"What are you doing here," he asked.

"I'm getting ready to leave and thought I'd check your progress on the audit Murray assigned you to complete."

"Where's Murray?"

"He left early today so he could make it to a Friends of Gardenias meeting."

"I'm still working on it," Scott said, "but it will be ready for him tomorrow."

Roy sat down in a chair.

"You know when I came out here to help my nephew out by looking over his corporation while he was gone, I never thought it would be so intriguing."

"Meaning what?"

"The focus of audits by different federal agencies of the corporation including the foundation," Roy said.

"That's C.J.'s doing," Scott said, "Apparently she was working with the FBI and DHS on something months ago. Something I had nothing to do with to answer your next question."

Roy nodded.

"Yes she was, right until she answered a phone call, trusted the wrong person and then disappeared for six months."

"And that has what to do with this audit I'm doing for Murray?"

Roy leaned back, getting comfortable.

"Oh…nothing."

"So what are you trying to get at," Scott said, "Because I've got places I have to be."

"We all do," Roy said, "My nephew and C.J. have places they need to be and they're all back home."

"I have nothing to say about that," Scott said, "Because I don't know what happened. Now excuse me."

Scott stood up and getting his briefcase left the office. Roy watched him go, thoughtfully then reached for his cell phone.

* * *

Matt and C.J. returned to the bungalow. He sat on the sofa to study some more maps of the region, which showed the islands which were located within several hundred miles from the one they were on. She went to take a shower and wash the grime off from the time she spent on the ground during her training session with Antonio earlier that morning.

Her body ached, from the training and she rubbed her upper arms. After she finished, she dried herself off and changed into some sweats and a tank top. She towel dried her hair and started combing it out in front of the mirror over her shoulders.

Her own face looked back at her, tanned from the days spent out on the fishing boat. Her shoulders showed more definition from the months spent ranching and the weeks spent handling fishing lines. One of them wore a scar from surgery she had to remove a bullet after she had been shot while trying to help Matt clear his name in a murder case.

They had been inside a building they thought was empty searching for evidence that would exonerate Matt of the killing of a woman found at the bottom of a hole in the dirt. But they had been discovered and ambushed with a hail of bullets which killed their friend, Andrea and forced them to leave in a hurry. C.J. hadn't felt the bullet wound that she had suffered until they had fled to their car and she remembered almost not telling Matt about it so that he would return into the building to get what he needed to end his nightmare before the building was destroyed.

That hadn't worked out well because willing wounds to stop bleeding doesn't usually work and instead, he had driven her straight to the hospital where surgeons removed the bullet. For a while, she had felt as if she failed him by costing him a chance to avoid having to remain on the run for weeks. But it had all worked out and she had played a significant role in that. Not to mention that escapade had brought Matt's Uncle Roy back into his life which was definitely a blessing.

She rubbed that shoulder, which worked fine now except for twinging from time to time usually when she worked it hard. Her body bore quite a few scars from the time spent working alongside Matt since he opened up his investigation agency some years ago but she wouldn't undo her past to get rid of them. She knew he felt the same way about his own battle scars.

But now the situation had changed and he was withholding information about something that endangered him to keep her from wavering on her path to get her life back.

She walked back into the living room, where Matt sat still looking at some maps and writing on several of them with a pencil.

"What did you mean when you told Jonathan earlier that he could hunt you down like a criminal?"

His hand froze.

"Please tell me," she said.

He looked at her.

"Jonathan put a warrant out for my arrest."

She nodded.

"And you didn't tell me about it because you thought I'd do something like turn myself in?"

"That crossed my mind," he said.

She sat down beside him.

"A couple days ago you probably would have been right," she said, "But I know you wouldn't make the decisions you made and accept the sacrifices that came with them unless they really mattered to you."

He stroked her cheek and wrapped his arms around her.

"You matter to me," he said, "Besides, it's not my first arrest warrant. I think I could wallpaper my office with them by now."

"Still, I'm worried about you," she said, nestling against him, "I don't want anything to happen to you and the feds arresting you might be the better outcome."

"C.J., this is going to work out when it's done," he said, stroking her hair, "I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure of that."

"I know," she said, "I just don't want anything to happen to you in the process."

"I won't let it," he said, "I've got a list of things I plan to do in this life before I leave it."

And some day when things were a little quieter, he thought to himself, he planned to show her that list.

* * *

Jonathan sat in Chad's office, waiting for him to get off the phone with their division up in Washington State.

Chad finally hung up then looked at Jonathon sitting across from him.

"That was our team representative on the dragnet that we set to that abandoned facility where they kept Ms. Parsons."

"What'd he say?"

"They just got there," Chad said, "They're building a grid system there and in the surrounding forest and they're going to go square foot by square foot. They even brought in some search and rescue canines."

"You think we're going to find the bodies there?"

"They spotted a piece of land hanging over the river," Chad said, "They're thinking it was possible that that might be a place to start looking."

"Are they going to search what's left of the buildings?"

"Yeah, but don't expect too much," Chad said, "They were destroyed in the fire."

Jonathan sighed.

"I'm going to have to get Denton and his guys on the phone," he said, "We're going to have to have another interview with Scott Prescow."

"He hasn't given anything up so far," Chad said, "Maybe he's as innocent as he claims to be."

Jonathan shook his head.

"No, he's implicated in C.J.'s statement as being tied to her kidnapping," he said, "I say it's time to put the screws into him."

He saw the expression on Chad's face.

"Figuratively speaking of course," he said, "This is America after all."

Chad looked at Jonathan and wondered if he were joking.

* * *

Matt woke up to hear a knock on the door of the bungalow. C.J. lay against him on the couch asleep, but his movement caused her to stir.

"What is it," she said.

"Someone's at the door," he said.

Both of them stood up as the person knocked again. Matt walked up to the door.

"Who is it," he said.

"It's me."

Matt relaxed recognizing Zeke's voice. C.J. looked at him and Matt opened the door and let him in.

"It's Serena, she just called," Zeke said, "She's been working on that disk into the night and she thinks she found something."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other. They then gathered their jackets and followed Zeke.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40--Here's the latest intallment of this story. I hope you like it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

They sat in Serena's cramped office while she typed quickly on her keyboard and several lists came up on the screen in separate columns. After she had contacted Brady with news of her discovery, he had rounded up everyone to head on down to the village to meet with her.

After they all sat down around her, Serena cut to the chase quickly.

"I think I found some of Duval's properties."

"Where?"

Serena directed them to her computer screen and they saw several lists there.

"Look here's the list of assets given to him, mostly by his father," she said, "I'm printing it out now."

"Marquis owned land all over the world," Matt said.

"Yeah, he was a really powerful dude," Brady said, "Not just as a terrorist but as a smuggler. Especially in these parts."

"He was rumored to be dead for a while," Serena said.

Matt looked at C.J.

"That news of his death was premature as we discovered ourselves. One minute, we were flying in my jet to a business meeting and the next, sitting on a jeep on our way to be taken to Marquis by gunpoint."

C.J. nodded.

"Most of Marquis' compound was blown up by explosives we found and detonated," she said, "Before the feds came to round them him and his men up to take into custody, his buildings were pretty much leveled."

"Where was that island," Serena asked.

"Near the Bahamas," Matt said, "I doubt anyone's gone back to rebuild there with all the scrutiny it got."

"Well, Marquis had some other islands in the region that are a bit closer to us than that one," Serena said, "See these numbers."

Matt looked at them running across part of the screen.

"They're coordinates, right?"

She nodded.

"Longitude and latitudes and these two," she said, while pointing to the entries on the list, "are south of here about 80 miles or more."

"We'll have to take a closer look at them," Matt said, "And that's not going to be easy."

"This one," Serena said, "is close to a relatively populated island. We've been there to pick up supplies on occasion."

"So you know the locals?"

She nodded.

"We've got a good trading relationship with them and they're discreet."

"Perfect then," Matt said, "We're going to need both."

* * *

Jonathan and Chad looked at the screen.

"So do you want Denton to get another crack at breaking Scott Prescow before you try?"

"They sent a team to the Washington site," Jonathan said, "But they don't have C.J.'s statement."

Chad leaned back in his seat.

"You're withholding it from the FBI?"

Jonathan set his jaw.

"Look, the FBI screwed up this from the beginning when they had her working for them," Jonathan said, "They didn't do nearly enough recognizance ahead of time to make sure she wasn't in any danger."

"They probably believed her assertion that Matt Houston didn't have any financial ties to terrorists," Chad said, "And that was true. No one could have seen someone else getting involved in the situation and using it to their own advantage."

"Involved," Jonathan said, "Andre Duval set it up and he used Scott to help him."

"You think he paid Prescow off?"

"Maybe not with money," Jonathan said, "The two had a prior relationship."

"So I heard," Chad said.

"Prescow stole something from Duval and never gave it back," Jonathan said, "He was probably hoping Duval forgot about it and had moved on but one thing the Duvals are lousy at is forgiving and forgetting."

"It's crazy, we still have nothing solid on this latest Duval."

"He tracked down Scott because he needed him to get to C.J. Maybe Duval forced Scott's hand even before he went back to Houston Enterprises which he did this time using his accounting credentials which gave him access to all the financial records."

"You're saying he triggered the alarm for DHS?"

"I don't know," Jonathan said, "Maybe not, but he's back with the company, working with some sensitive records. Matt doesn't have any reason to distrust them because they'd been friends going way back."

"What about Parsons?"

Jonathan sighed.

"She didn't like the guy and I doubt she trusted him," Jonathan said, "And she's very protective of Matt. Ordinarily not a bad combination but in this situation, it got her into trouble."

"She said she got a message from Prescow to meet someone," Chad said, "and she called that person who wanted to meet with her."

"Only he's not who he appeared to be obviously," Jonathan said, "And she's more concerned about Matt and so she's probably got her guard down when she's going out to meet the caller."

"Which her kidnappers took advantage of."

"It was all executed perfectly," Jonathan said, "And on top of it, Matt's out of the country at the time. Also probably not a coincidence."

Chad paused.

"Okay, I guess we can try another go around with Prescow," he said, "I'm still waiting to hear back from the investigation up in Washington."

"They haven't given an update?"

Chad shook his head.

"They were checking out that place of interest just above the river," he said.

Jonathan took a deep breath.

"I think we both know what they're going to find there."

Chad nodded.

* * *

C.J. woke the next morning, to see the sunlight shining in her window. She had fallen asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow. For a while, she watched the shadows dance on the wall then got out of bed to get dressed for her early run and the training regimen that Antonio had them working on.

She ran into Matt in the hallway when she had finished. He had dressed in sweats and one of his university tee-shirts.

"Antonio should be on the beach in a few minutes," C.J. said, pulling her hair back into a pony tail and getting her cap.

They left the bungalow and jogged up to where Brady and Zeke stood with Antonio, who stood quietly while the other two men shared conversation. He looked up when he saw Matt and C.J.

"We're going to go up the hilly side of the island today," he said.

C.J. nodded while Zeke and Brady looked at each other and groaned.

"I thought mercenaries like yourselves would keep to a regular training regimen to keep in shape," Antonio said.

"We're fishermen when we're not on a mission," Zeke said, "That keeps us in shape. You should try it sometime if you want real muscles."

"That's not bad exercise," Antonio said, "I used to go deep sea fishing with my father and uncles when I was a boy but we will be doing a more specific fitness program."

"Okay, give us your best shot," Brady said, folding his arms.

And for the rest of the morning until the sun traveled to the highest point in the sky and its shimmering rays baked the island, Antonio did just that. They ran up and down steep mountain trails until Zeke and Brady stopped and held their heaving sides. Then they traveled through the jungle, weaving a trail through it with Antonio and C.J. in the lead. She enjoyed the day's outing and despite the rigorous exercise found herself feeling more energized as the day went on.

Antonio led them in calisthenics when they took breaks throughout their run. During a break at the top of one mountain, C.J. looked out over the length of the island across the blue-glassed ocean into the horizon.

"It's a beautiful day," she said.

"It's the best time of the year," Antonio said, "In the summer, the heat and humidity can be unbearable. Most of the locals in these islands take siestas in the afternoons then everything comes back to life again after the sun sets."

"You sound like you've spent a lot of time on the islands," she said.

"Years ago, when I first started looking for my sister, I spent some time in this region working," he said.

"You must really miss Elena," C.J. said.

"I haven't seen here in so long, I'm not even sure I really remember what she's like."

"She's very pretty, very intelligent and has a good heart," C.J. said, "And she's very brave."

Antonio looked up at her.

"You know this?"

She nodded. He smiled at her and they walked back to the others.

"I think it's time to head back down and get something to eat," Antonio said,"You've all worked very hard this morning."

They trekked back down through the jungle, pushing through the vines that snaked in front of them and listened to the sounds of animals moving unseen around them.

"We're going to start checking out the islands on that list," Antonio said.

Matt nodded.

"I'm coming along," C.J. said.

"It might be risky if any of his men are around and they recognize you," Matt said.

"They might recognize you," she said, "If there's a warrant out for you, it means your face is out there too."

"You have a bounty out on you and I have a warrant out on me," Matt said, "What a pair we make."

C.J. smiled.

"We can find a way to do it," she said.

"We can help with that," Brady offered.

C.J. and Matt looked at him.

"A lot of our work is incognito."

* * *

Chris sat back at her desk. Murray came in with another box and when she saw it, she put her hands up to ward him off.

"No more," she said, "I'm buried in records right now."

Murray looked seriously apologetic.

"I'm sorry Chris, but the feds wanted to go back a couple more years."

"For Pete's sake," she said, "We're back five years right now."

"I could get Scott to take over," Murray said.

"No, no I'll handle this," Chris said.

Murray shrugged, then left the room. Rhonda popped her head in after he left.

"What did he want," she asked.

"He dropped off more boxes of records," Chris said, "This audit is being expanded."

Rhonda sat down and dropped some muffins on the desk.

"Are those what I think they are?"

Rhonda nodded and Chris grabbed one.

"So have you come up with a plan to nail Scott?"

Chris looked up from her muffin and stopped chewing for a moment.

"I think the best thing is to keep an eye on him," Chris said, "Especially if he tries to contact Andre."

"How are we going to do that," Rhonda said.

"Maybe your ex-boyfriend can help us with that," Chris said.

Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"You mean you want to bug his phone," she said, "Is that legal without a warrant?"

"I was thinking of his office and you're right, if we did catch anything, it probably wouldn't be of any use to build a case against him."

"Pesky rules," Rhonda said, "Do we even know if he's tried to contact Andre?"

Chris shook her head.

"And our attempts to get something incriminating on Andre didn't exactly pan out," Rhonda said.

"Nothing damning that he said got recorded."

"Look I know you want to help Matt and C.J., hell I want to help them," Rhonda said, "But aren't we in over our heads on this one?"

Chris paused.

"I guess all we can do for the moment is keep a close eye on the creep," Chris said, with a sigh.

"Speaking of which," Rhonda said under her breath.

Chris looked up to see Scott standing in her doorway.

"Hello Chris, Rhonda, how is your morning going?"

"Well, it was going well until something blocked out the light," Chris said.

"Now, now that's not the way to treat the person who's going to help you on your audit."

Chris sat up straight.

"What?"

Scott smiled.

"Yes, I ran into Murray in the hall and he told me about how worried he was that he had given you too much to handle so I offered my services."

"I don't need them," Chris said, "I've got it under control."

Rhonda kicked her leg. Chris looked at her and Rhonda raised her brow.

Chris tried to smile and almost succeeded.

"You know what, you may have a point there," she said, "I am overworked and might need some help after all, from someone with your professional background."

"Good," Scott said, "When should we get down to business?"

_Keep your friends close and your enemies closer._

That thought crept into Chris' mind from a place she didn't remember.

* * *

Jonathan had finished filling out some reports when Brad stuck his head in the office.

"What's up?

Brad looked somber and Jonathan felt the hairs go up on the back of his neck.

"You heard from the Washington team."

Brad nodded.

"What did they find?"

"They found a grave yard."

Jonathan picked up his phone.

* * *

She heard Elena enter the room before she saw her.

"Where did they take him," C.J. said.

She had returned to the bedroom after she had showered and put on a loose knit top and pants. She had tried to scrub off every trace of him on her but couldn't reach inside her soul where he lived.

Elena just looked at her, from where she was placing the tray of food on the table. She wore a blue dress that morning with a lace collar and her hair around her shoulders. It was the first time that C.J. had seen her wear it down.

"What do you mean," Elena asked.

"The soldier," C.J. said, "the one who's dead."

Elena looked confused.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, "I can't help you anymore."

"He came to me and said he would help me," C.J. said, "That you sent him to help me escape."

Elena shook her head vehemently.

"He's lying."

"Andre shot him dead right in front of me," C.J. "After I did whatever I could to stop him."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I didn't want anything to happen to you," C.J. said, "If Andre had tortured him, he would have given you up."

Elena paced back and forth.

"Andre wouldn't do such a thing," she said, "Fernando must have angered him in some way."

"Fernando," C.J. said, "So you do know him?"

Elena sat down.

"You can tell me."

"Fernando grew up in the same village back in Ecuador that I did," she said, "I do know him and sometimes we talk about our homeland but all I did was tell him how sad you were. I thought he could talk to you and help you when you're homesick like he does for me. I didn't think he would try to help you escape."

"I didn't want to go with him," C.J. said, "Why would I try to escape?"

"No, Fernando is a good man," Elena said, "But so is Andre. He's always been good to me."

"Does he pay you for your work?"

"No... but he takes care of me," she said, "I have food, shelter and clothing. I...don't have anyone else now."

"Did he tell you what happened to Fernando?"

Elena just stared back at her.

"He told me he left."

C.J. just shook her head and when Elena saw that, she slowly sunk into the chair and placed her head in her arms.

* * *

C.J. woke up with her hand over her mouth. She had been resting on the couch after she had returned to the bungalow after lunch and realized that the rigorous training session that morning had caught up with her. She must have nodded off.

"I tried to save him," she said.

Matt looked at her from where he sat at the table.

"Tried to save who?"

She sat up and put her head in her hands.

"The soldier."

"The one you told me that Andre killed in front of you?"

She nodded.

He left the table and went to sit on the couch next to her.

"You must have fallen asleep," he said.

"I was just trying to protect Elena," she said.

He put his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Her heart still beat quickly against him.

"What happened with Elena?"

"Nothing…Andre killed Fernando before he could give her away."

"That's what you were trying to prevent," Matt said.

"Elena's just a young girl, far away from home and caught in a life no young girl deserves," C.J. said, "She was just trying to help me feel better."

"Did she know what Andre had done," Matt said.

"No…She didn't believe me when I told her. Not at first."

"Then she did?"

"I don't know what ever happened to her," C.J. said, "Where she is. If..."

"We'll find her," Matt said.

* * *

Jonathan knocked on the door of Chad's office. His supervisor gestured him to come in the office and got off the phone.

"So you heard from Washington," Chad said.

"Yes, they found some graves," Jonathan said, "Very simple. All unmarked."

"How many?"

"They don't know yet," Jonathan said, "At least a dozen."

Chad took a deep breath.

"Jesus Christ," he said, "They're going to need to send a coroner's team."

"Already done," Jonathan said, "In fact, they should be on their way by now."

"Any identifications?"

Jonathan shook his head.

"Most of them look like they're female," he said, "They did find several who look like they're uniformed who must have worked there."

"Ms Parsons mentioned the execution of one of the guards in her statement."

"We don't know if his body will be there," Jonathan said, "After all, Piser's wasn't."

"We've got to try and figure out who these people were."

"No identifications," Jonathan said, "Almost all of the remains are skeletal."

"Damn," Chad said, "That's going to make identifications difficult unless there's any records left on site."

"They're still looking," Jonathan said, "They did find what look like fire-proof safes and we're sending some dogs out."

"Any media sniffing around?"

"No, but there will be," Jonathan said, "We both know it's hard to keep a lid on something like this for long."

"Call the press officer," Chad said, with a sigh.

"How you going to spin this," Jonathan said, "This is the second search of this site and it took until now to find anything."

"I don't know," Chad said, "I don't think either of us will unless we fully know what we're dealing with here."

* * *

C.J. sat with Matt on the couch, in his embrace.

"Antonio told me about his other sister," she said, "the one Andre killed."

"Because she tried to escape," Matt said, "Like you did."

"I would have died too," C.J. said, "But Andre was called away on business."

"Did you ever see this woman?"

She shook her head.

"I think he killed her before I got there," she said, "I did see other women there but none for very long."

"He probably kept them elsewhere before he sold them."

"He threatened to do that with me, if I didn't do what he wanted," she said, "That's why I stopped fighting."

He felt her tense against him and kissed her forehead.

"He didn't leave you with any choices," he said, "You did what you had to do so you could escape."

"I think I'm the only woman there who did get away," she said, "I overheard some of the guards saying that when they were looking for me."

"We're going to stop him."

"We have to find him first," she said.

"I emailed a message to Serena for her to send to Jonathan."

C.J. looked at him.

"What did it say,"

"That we're going after Andre."

* * *

Jonathan got off the phone and Brad popped his head in the office.

"I've got the missing person's reports on young women that you requested," he said, "Where should I put the boxes?"

Jonathan looked up.

"On my desk."

Brad eyed the already cluttered desk skeptically.

"You might need more than one desk," he said.

"How many are there?"

"Hundreds," Brad said.

Jonathan sighed and watched his men bring them in.

* * *

Brady spread out the maps on the table in front of C.J., Matt and Antonio.

"If we can get one of the boats out to this island," he said pointing his finger at a dot, "We can find out if Duval is on one of the neighboring islands and if so, which one."

"His father owned several islands nearby," Matt said, "What about the largest one?"

Brady nodded.

"That's what I'm thinking."

Matt paused.

"I know a man that can help us," he said.

C.J. looked at him and nodded. Brady looked at both of them.

"Does he know anything about this region and Duval?"

"Both," Matt said, "He's retired now and owns a business in Florida but he could get out here quick enough plus he's very discreet."

"Do you think they're watching him?"

"I doubt it," Matt said, "He'll find a way to tell us if they are."

Brady nodded.

"You'd better contact him then."

* * *

Jonathan turned when he heard his computer beep. On the screen, a message flashed that he had received an email.

He clicked to get into his account and found one signed "Cowboy". That caught his attention and he opened it.

_Jonathan,_

_We've discovered a possible location for Andre's base. When we're done with him, we'll send you the coordinates. And if you run into Scott Prescow in an interrogation room, tell him that when I'm finished with Duval, I'll be coming for him._

Jonathan leaned back in his chair, then reached for his phone.

"Chad, I received another message from Matt," he said, "He's going after Andre."

"What is he, some vigilante?"

"No, he just knows that C.J. has no chance of having any real life unless Andre's taken care of and he's clearly not happy with our efforts so far."

"Someone's got to go pick him up."

"We don't even know where he is," Jonathan said, "And these missives he's sending can't be easily traced."

"What have you discovered so far?"

"He's somewhere in the Western Hemisphere."

"Great, that really narrows it down," Chad said.

"Maybe we should just drop the warrant," Jonathan said.

"That's a bit like unringing the bell at this point," Chad said, "Plus he's broken the law and by not allowing us access with our own witness, he's hindering this investigation."

"We wouldn't know as much as we do now if it weren't for him," Jonathan said, "C.J. sure wasn't talking to our people."

"But she's not here," Chad said, "We don't know where she is."

"Because we nearly lost her twice, because of crooked agents in our own department."

"That's been taken care of, Jonathan," Chad said.

"Has it?"

"God, I hope so," Chad said, "So what's the latest up in Washington?"

"Nothing in the past hour or so," Jonathan said, "I've got boxes of reports on missing women and at this point, none of its going to do me any good without DNA samples and dental records."

Chad sighed.

"I guess we're going to have to contact the families of these missing women to get those things."

"I've got Brad and Sally working on that already," Jonathan said, "but it's going to take time."

"Not exactly something we have working for us at the moment," Chad said.

Jonathan couldn't disagree with his words.

* * *

Chris met Rhonda and Fran in the coffee shop and ordered herself some tea.

"You must have had a difficult day," Fran said.

"Don't even get me started," Chris said.

"Murray put Scott on the audit," Rhonda said.

"It was Rhonda's idea to agree with it," Chris said, "And as much as I hate being in the same room as the creep, it might be a good one."

Chris phone rang. She answered it.

"Hi Dan, how's work going?"

"Great to be back," he said, "Listen there's going to be a press conference in an hour. Something big coming out of Washington state."

"What," she asked, "Does it have anything to do with C.J. and Matt?"

"I don't know," he said, "I guess we're going to find out."

"


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41---Here's the latest installment. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

Chris, Fran and Rhonda sat speechless in front of the television at the sports bar, as a news anchor described what was unfolding in Washington State including the possible discovery of unidentified bodies.

"Investigators from several federal and state agencies have been poring over the site since last night leaving no stone turned as they search for evidence in relation to an unspecified investigation. When asked to comment, the FBI refused to elaborate on the nature of this investigation and representatives of the United States Marshal's office which has fallen under harsh criticism as of late…"

"For good reason," Fran interjected.

"…has refused to address reports that they have even sent agents to the scene. This is Cheryl Goodheart of KACT News and I will continue to update as information comes in but it's clear that something major is taking place in the deep woods of the state of Washington…."

"Does this have anything to do with C.J.," Rhonda said.

"I bet it does," Chris said, "She was held captive somewhere in upstate Washington."

"Something must have broke," Rhonda said, "To send so many agents up in the wilderness."

"Yeah, but what?"

* * *

Jonathan's phone rang off the hook. Brad ducked his head in his office.

"What's up Brad?"

"We're going to need more agents to contact the families," Brad said, "We're barely making any headway but we're going to have DNA samples and dental records coming in. Some of the relatives of these missing women are demanding answers."

"We don't have any right now," Jonathan said, "We don't even know if any of those women's remains will be found in those graves."

"I think some of the families have been watching the news," Brad said, "And they are putting two and two together."

Jonathan sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Who can blame them," he said.

"Jesus, the reporters are calling our office and the FBI off the hook," Brad said, "Should I patch the calls through to our public information officer?"

"He's still trying to figure out what to say at this point," Jonathan said, "The AG might want to give a statement from D.C. today."

"This is really getting larger than life," Brad said.

"I think we've just seen the beginning of what is going on here," Jonathan said with a sigh. "I'll try to get those agents, but that's all I can say at this point."

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked on the beach after the sun had set.

"So when is our good friend coming in," she asked.

"Hopefully, tomorrow."

"It will be so good to see him," she said, "I just wish the circumstances were different."

"Soon they will be," he said, interlinking his fingers with hers, "Then we can sit back and have some barbecue like we used to do."

She smiled.

"That will be nice."

"We'll be going back home," Matt said, "And see our friends again."

C.J. paused.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to go back," she said, "Even when this is over."

He stopped and looked at her.

"You've got your friends," he said, "You've got your career."

She nodded.

"I know," she said, "But I can't even remember some times who I used to be and that's the women that they know, not who I am now. Sometimes I feel so isolated."

He stopped and took hold of both of her hands in his as they stood in the sand.

"You've got me."

"You've been great through all this," she said, "It means more to me than you will ever know."

"Just returning the favor," he said, "for all the times you were there for me when I needed it, without hesitation."

She squeezed his hands in response.

* * *

"I can't watch it anymore," Fran said, turning away from the television.

Chris sipped her soda.

"All those poor women," she said.

Rhonda looked at Fran.

"It's just like Bannon County all over again," she said, "There were graves like that in the desert filled with women who either defied Buntz and Piser or tried to escape from them. We all figured they killed the women that they hauled off but we didn't know where they left them."

"If it hadn't been for Matt, that never would have stopped," Fran said, "Of course, I thought he was crazy when he approached me in that deputy getup and offered me $200 to help him find C.J."

"Did they ever find out who most those women were," Chris said.

Fran shook her head.

"Some of them had families," she said, "Others were runaways or women leaving abusive men. Caught in the wrong end of the county at the wrong time."

"Now it's happened in Washington," Rhonda said, "And there's no one to help those women when they needed it."

"We can't undo what happened to them," Chris said, "But we can help bring their killers to justice."

"We haven't had much luck so far," Rhonda said, "And the feds don't seem to be able to do any better."

"We've got to go after Scott," Chris said, "He's the only one in Houston that we know of who has ties to Andre Duval."

"Had ties," Rhonda said, "We still don't have any proof they're still connected."

"I know they are, Rhonda," Chris said, "I just think Scott's being very careful now that he knows he's being watched including inside the company."

"Well, what's he been like now that you two are working together?"

Chris grimaced.

"He's careful, that's for sure," she said, "I know he doesn't trust me or Roy so as long as we're around, he probably will be very careful about contacting Andre."

"So how do we get him to ever let his guard down," Rhonda said.

"I don't know," Chris said, "We might need some help there."

"Maybe," Fran said, "We have to find a situation where he'll be driven to contact his boss."

Chris nodded.

"Or we could create one," she said.

* * *

Jonathan picked up the phone.

"Chad, what's up?"

"Any word from Washington State?"

"Not in the past hour," Jonathan said, "I noticed that the FBI was going to join the AG at his press conference."

"Our office is sending a guy," Chad said, "But we're just peripheral in this case."

"It was our witness…"

"It doesn't matter," Chad said, "It doesn't even matter that the FBI put our witness in this mess and they refuse to lift the warrant against Mr. Houston."

"What," Jonathan said, "It came from our office originally."

"There's a lot of heat coming down on this whole thing," Chad said, "And besides, now the FBI wants to talk to Houston."

"About what?"

"Where do they start," Chad said, "The audit of his business and foundation, both past and current, and what his plans are for Mr. Duval."

"He's not telling anybody that," Jonathan said, "But he's made it clear that he's going after Duval and Scott Prescow."

"If he does either, then he'll be obstructing the FBI's investigation and that will just be the beginning of a list of possible crimes."

Jonathan laughed.

"I doubt he cares," he said, "His only priority in all this is C.J. He'll do whatever he feels he needs to do to protect her from anyone."

"Does that include protecting her from us?"

"Apparently so, according to these messages he's been sending," Jonathan said, "But it's difficult to really blame him."

"It doesn't matter about blame or his intentions," Chad said, "He's interfering with a federal investigation. And if our paths cross with his, he's coming in."

"No jury in this country will convict him of any such charge, once it knows the facts."

Chad sighed on his end.

"Not our problem. Leave that up to the U.S. Attorneys's office," he said, "Ours is to get our witness back."

* * *

C.J. sat on the steps outside the house, smelling the gardenia in bloom and listening to the crickets.

Julia walked outside of the house. C.J. listened to the door shut behind her and her friend sit on the steps beside her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Julia said.

C.J. turned her face to look at Julia who smiled at her.

"So maybe you can get another opinion," C.J. said, "Doctors make mistakes all the time."

"I did," she said, "and he confirmed the diagnosis and the prognosis."

"So what are you going to do?"

"They said that chemotherapy might get rid of it," Julia said, "But the chances aren't great that it won't come back down the road."

"What about school," C.J. asked.

Julia laughed softly and stroked her friend's back.

"I'll have to take the semester, maybe the entire year off," she said, "Or I might not be coming back at all."

"Harvard can defer you for next year," C.J. said, "It will just take longer, that's all."

"If I only have a short time to live," Julia said, "Then I want to make the most of what I've got left. It's just not the time to make long-range plans. Just to take it one day at a time and go with the flow, leave tomorrow to tomorrow if it comes."

C.J. remained silent for a moment.

"I haven't decided if I'm going back," she said.

Julia's tone changed.

"You've got to go back and live our dream for the both of us," she said, "To set up a law firm to help women who had no where left to turn and to empower them. That's still very important to achieve even if I can't do it with you."

"I don't know if I can, Julia," C.J. said, "I can't even think of going forward without you alongside me."

"I know you can," Julia said, "And I'll be beside you every step of the way no matter what happens or where I'll be."

The sky darkened, and the sounds hushed around her. She ran through the brush, not looking behind to see who was pursuing her through the forest. She winced as her bare feet struck rocks, but kept going. She heard footsteps and voices suddenly approaching from behind her. She looked right and then left and found a brush to hide under while they passed.

She saw the men's boots as they passed where he had hidden.

"It doesn't look like she went this way," one man said.

"There…see where the brush is broken," the other said.

C.J. bit her lip to keep quiet, not daring to move. Her wrist continued to throb but she ignored that too.

"If she went the other way, it's nothing but a 50 foot or so drop off in the river," the first man said.

"We have to find her," the second one said, "The boss is going to be pissed that she escaped and I for one don't want to wind up with a bullet in my head."

"Like Fernando."

C.J. closed her eyes for a while. When she finally opened them, she realized it had grown quiet in the woods and the men had gone.

* * *

The morning sun streamed into the bedroom window when C.J. awakened, looking around her until she remembered where she was again. She got up and began changing into her clothes before meeting Antonio and the others for another morning of training.

But her mind wandered back to her dream about Julia and the dreams they had shared back in law school and even earlier than that when they spent hours sitting at the base of a tree in the spacious yard of Julia's house talking about the future and their place in it.

With Julia's illness, those dreams they shared had fallen by the wayside as C.J. had continued alone in law school. Even Scott had transferred by then to finish his education at Yale. Not that C.J. missed him at all, after what he had done. She knew that he had still been tight with Matt and had considered telling Matt the truth about his friend but each time, she decided against it. Now, the reasons didn't seem nearly as good as they had when she was younger. Amazing how hindsight worked.

"You ready to go," Matt said, meeting her in the hallway as she went to the living room to put her shoes on.

"Almost," she said, sitting on the couch.

"Did you sleep okay," he said.

C.J. nodded.

"I had a dream about Julia," she said, "Back when she first found out she had cancer."

"That was after you both finished your first year of Harvard."

She tied the laces of her shoes.

"We had such dreams when we were younger," she said, "How we were going to make it a better world for women. Maybe part of it was idealism that comes with being young but we really wanted to make a difference."

Matt nodded.

"I remember that," he said, with a smile, "You were going to start your own firm when you graduated from Harvard."

"But when she got sick," C.J. "I think I just lost my way, or I had to adjust my dreams a bit to fit the real world. And don't get me wrong, I love what I've done in my life including as an attorney."

"But…"

She sighed.

"A part of me still holds that dream," she said.

"And your experiences that you've had made that part of you stronger and speak louder," Matt said.

"Yeah I guess they have," she said, "And what I've been through is horrible, but I'm not lying in some unmarked grave in Arizona or Washington or anywhere else like other women."

"C.J., I think if this is really want you want to do when you get back home, you should just go for it and do it."

She looked at him, afraid that her admission might hurt his feelings, the last thing she wanted to do.

"You think so," C.J. said, "I know I've been working for you and with you for quite a few years and I loved almost every minute of it."

She stood up.

"I've loved most every minute of it too," Matt said, "But it's important that you keep true to who you are and what you feel like you need and want to do. Like I said, I had some time a few months ago to gain some perspective on what's important and what's really not and it's what you do with this life that counts."

"Oh, that list you mentioned," she said, "Maybe I need to work on one."

"And who you spend it with," he continued.

She turned to look at him again, but he had already headed for the door.

* * *

Chris walked back into her office but not before mentally preparing to encounter Scott. She did that before entering the room and wasn't disappointed to see him sitting in her office in her chair looking over some of the files being audited.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He turned around to see her standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"I'm doing what Murray assigned me to do which is to help you to prepare files for the federal audit."

"Yeah, whatever," she said, pulling the chair that she never sat in up to the desk to begin working, "So what have you gotten done so far?"

He smiled.

"Two donors, five year histories on both," he said, pushing a stack of files in her direction. She began opening them to examine them more closely.

"What am I supposed to be looking for," she asked.

Scott smirked.

"What, you don't know," he said, "Maybe I should be in charge of this operation and you should be assisting me."

Chris smiled.

"Why not," she said, "After all, you have the CPA background. You tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Anything?"

"Related to the task at hand of course," she said, gritting her teeth beneath her pleasant expression.

"Okay, I'll read through these files first and then make the major notations," he said, "And you can type them up in the report."

"Sure," she said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"And get me some coffee with sugar while you're up," Scott said.

Chris just sat and glared at him.

"You don't like me very much," Scott said, "It's a shame really. I thought we always got along fairly well and worked well together. "

"That's before I thought you were a creep," Chris said, "But I realize now that I might have jumped to conclusions and possibly misjudged you without all the facts."

"What?"

"After all, everyone's innocent until proven guilty," she said.

"Well yes, and in my case I didn't do anything wrong," he said, "I don't know what C.J. told you but she's wrong about me."

"She's not exactly around here to defend her words, is she?"

"No," Scott said, "But despite what everyone seems to believe, that's hardly my fault."

"Maybe not," Chris said, "But she's missing…again and our employer's left the company in our hands until he brings her back."

"Do you have any idea where they might have gone," Scott asked.

She looked at him.

"I might have some idea," Chris said, "Based on some…things that I heard but it's probably best to keep that information close to my chest."

"Well…I guess that's one way to put it," Scott said, "Would you like me to get you some coffee while I go get a cup?"

Chris shrugged.

"Sure why not," she said, "since you're going anyway."

He nodded and left the room. Chris sank back in the chair, trying to think quickly of what to do next. Kissing ass just wasn't one of her strong suits.

* * *

C.J. toweled the sweat off her brow when she finished her training with Antonio. They all were heading to eat lunch, famished from the intense workout that morning, which included but of course wasn't limited to a 12 mile hike and run. Some of the men crawled in as they did each day but she thoroughly enjoyed the activity, which kept her concentrating hard enough for her mind to stop wandering to places she didn't want it to go.

Bertha brought out second helpings of fruit salad and fish stew.

"What is this Antonio doing to my men," she said, "I think I see ribs on you Brady."

Brady coughed.

"Yes, I guess you do," he said looking down.

Antonio sat at the table, eating and watching the activity around him yet remaining separate from it. C.J. knew he spent a lot of time working hard like she did to avoid what she did during the quiet periods which was to think about what what she had left behind. In his case, his mind probably focused on his two sisters, one dead and one living that he was trying to find. She still didn't trust him but she felt for him in that one small way. Some memories and thoughts were too difficult, too painful to relive over and over but too difficult to fight at the same time. Each day, was a battle between the two sides that by nightfall, left you weary yet not able to sleep, lest the war continue in your dreams.

"This training is critical if you're going to be able to accomplish this mission," Antonio said, "Andre keeps his compounds in very physically imposing areas to restrict access to them. The one that C.J. escaped from in Washington is one example of that."

"If she escaped…"Zeke started.

"Don't make the mistake that because she barely survived her escape that it's a given that you will be able to handle this assignment. She was the only one to ever escape from that compound and the federal agencies are trying to identify the remains of those who didn't."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other.

"What the…" Brady said.

"It's been all over the news, even down here," Antonio said, "The FBI found at least a dozen or so unmarked graves in that compound in Washington so far. My guess is there's more there left to be found."

Exclamations of shock unexpected from a group of hardened men met this news.

"Why did they go back there," Brady said.

C.J. closed her eyes.

"It was in my statement," she said, quietly, "Along with everything else."

"Any mention of Duval," Matt asked.

Antonio shook his head.

"As far as the news coverage is concerned, he still presents himself as the model citizen," he said, but his eyes clouded over, "Several of us here know differently. Come, it's time to move ahead with the next phase of this plan."

Everyone looked at him as he began to outline it.

* * *

Chris waited on her cell phone for Fran to return. She also watched the doorway for Scott to return with their coffee.

"I'm back," Fran said, "I think I've found just the person to help us."

Chris exhaled in relief.

"I thought I'd lost you," she said, "So who did you find?"

"Kyra," she said, "That woman that you and Matt interviewed a while back about Duval and Bannon County."

"Oh yes," Chris said, "She seemed really nice."

"She's willing to help us do whatever is necessary."

"That's great," Chris said, "How are her dictation skills?"

* * *

Jonathan walked into Chad's office.

"Brad told me they're still working on the ID profiles of missing women to match up with the Jane Does up in Washington," he said.

"It's like a needle in a haystack," Chad said, "Or a bunch of needles in a very large haystack."

"We've got to start somewhere," Jonathan said sitting down, "This is going to be a logistic nightmare. The AG's statement last night to the nation made promises I'm not sure we can deliver on."

"We've got no choice but to try," Chad said, "But we're no closer to Duval unless we find anything up there to connect that site to him."

"They're still looking," Jonathan said, "They did find those safes. It's just a matter of opening them and seeing if they have anything in them."

"They did identify a couple of the deceased men through identification on their clothing," Chad said, "They were soldiers who worked for him and it looks like from what's left of them that they took bullets to the head at close range."

"Deserters or betrayers," Jonathan asked.

"Some difference," Chad said, "But one's name matched that given in Ms Parson's statement. The one who Duval allegedly thought tried to help her escape."

"Yes, she wrote that Duval shot the one named Fernando right in front of her," Jonathan said, "She tried to stop him."

"Why," Chad asked.

"Good question."

"Here's another," Chad said, "For the killings that Ms Parson's does describe, there's one key one that's missing."

"Which is..."

"Semour Piser."

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked over to the airstrip which was a short distance from where they were staying to await the arrival of an airplane scheduled to land there.

"What time is he due," she asked.

Matt looked at his watch.

"A few minutes," he said, "And he's nearly always on time."

"I wonder how he got this one past his wife," C.J. said.

"I'm more interested in how he got past his mother," Matt said.

C.J. laughed.

"Good point," she said, "I'm so glad he's decided to help us."

He took her hand.

"Come on, I think I hear his plane."

Soon enough, it appeared coming over the ocean and circling the area until it landed smoothly on the small runway. It taxied up to the small hanger and came to a stop not far from where Matt and C.J. stood. After the engine began winding down to a stop, the door opened and a small stairwell came down.

Matt and C.J. went up to greet their friend.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42---The latest installment of this story is finished! I hope you like it and thanks as always for the feedback!

* * *

Vince Novelli disembarked from the plane wearing a Hawaiian shirt and dark shades. When he saw Matt and C.J., he took off his glasses and broke into a smile. They walked towards him.

"What's it been, forever," he said, "And you're exactly how I remember you, hiding out in deep trouble with everyone on the planet holding a ticket with your name on it."

Matt grimaced.

"Nice to see you too, Vince."

Vince looked at C.J.

"You still hanging around with this loser," he asked.

She stifled a laugh.

"He kind of grew on me."

They stood on the tarmac looking at each other and then both hugged Vince.

"How's Mama doing," C.J. asked.

Vince laughed.

"She's doing great, catering for some big gigs in the Keys," he said, "She extends her best wishes to both of you."

"Did she…," both Matt and C.J. said, dare hoping.

"I've got some care packages from her on the plane," Vince said.

They walked back to the plane and Vince put an arm around each one of them.

"So who on this planet isn't looking for you these days?"

* * *

Kyra twirled around, showing her outfit. Both Chris and Fran looked at her with a critical eye.

"Looks good to me," Rhonda said from where she sat.

"Skirt's too short," Chris said.

"It's not short enough," Fran said.

Kyra looked back and forth between both of them.

"An inch less and she'll look like a cocktail waitress," Chris said.

Fran frowned.

"An inch more and she'll look like she's going into the convent."

Rhonda rolled her eyes at the both of them.

"She looks fine," she said, "She's a secretary, after all and look at her, she's so beautiful. Scott will be captivated with her when she walks through the door no matter what she's wearing."

"Who's this guy anyway," Kyra asked.

"He's the accountant I'm working with on the audit," Chris said, "You'll be working directly with him as well."

"Does he know he's getting a temp?"

"Not yet," Chris said, "But he's looking for someone who will enter the data that we're compiling onto the proper forms."

"And you want to gaslight him enough to get him to contact Andre," Kyra said, "What kind of man is this Scott?"  
Chris looked at Fran.

"He's a jerk," Rhonda said, "He's the lowest life form that there is. He's been working for this human trafficker on and off for almost 10 years."

"And this Andre Duval worked with Piser," Kyra said, folding her arms.

"He got Piser out of prison on some furlough and then Piser disappears and winds up employed by Andre."

"Until he crossed the wrong person who killed him," Chris said.

"Piser deserves to rot in Hell," Kyra said, "So does this Andre and if Scott's working for him…"

"They're all going to get what's coming to them," Chris said, "But the federal agencies are hesitant to even investigate Andre because of his business connections and his ties to his country's consulate."

"And what about Scott?"

Chris paused.

"The FBI and U.S. Marshal's office have been in and out of his office interviewing him," she said, "And have gotten nowhere."

"You think I can do better than them," Kyra said.

"I think we all can," Chris said, "At least we're trying."

"And you think this Scott is the key?"

"I don't know, but he's the closet one to us."

* * *

Vince helped Bertha spoon Mama's best edibles into plates for the waiting line of men. Each person received a plate heaped high with antipasto and pasta with different sauces, along with freshly heated garlic bread.

When he finished serving the men, he took a plate and sat next to Matt and C.J.

"Mmmm, this is great Vince," C.J. said, "It's been so long since I've had Mama's cooking."

"We miss you too," Vince said, "Life's not the same without you."

"How have things been going with you since we last saw you?"

Vince's face grew serious.

"Much better," he said, "We bought a new house. We had to after my wife discovered she was pregnant with twins."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other then at Vince who nodded.

"It was just as much a shock to me when I found out," he said, "Mama's over the moon."

"I can imagine," C.J. said, shaking her head with a smile.

"They're six months old now," he said, "Ernesto and Clarissa."

"Do you have any pictures," she asked.

He reached in his pocket for his wallet and pulled several out. Matt and C.J. looked at them.

"They're so gorgeous," C.J. said.

"They look just like you," Matt said.

"I should hope so," Vince said, "And not like the milkman."

Matt looked serious.

"I'm glad you agreed to come when you got my message."

"I owe you big time for that last assist," Vince said, "It's the least I can do to help you nail that bastard."

"We think he's got a base somewhere in the vicinity," Matt said, "Maybe on some islands that Marquis Duval left him."

"Now there's a blast from the past."

"I met with his other son in prison," Matt said, "He said that his father always looked after Andre from afar because he couldn't acknowledge him publicly."

Vince sighed.

"I was really hoping there wasn't another Duval out there."

"This one's the worst of the lot," Matt said, "which incidentally is what Marquis Jr. also said."

"You think he's really trafficking humans?"

C.J. nodded slowly.

"I know he is," she said quietly, "I spent nearly a month in one of his compounds."

"The one the feds have been all over up in Washington during the past day or so?"

"Yes, he kept me there after his men abducted me in L.A."

"Her statement that she sent to the feds led them there," Matt said.

Vince paused.

"Are they going to find any evidence in Washington?"

C.J. looked at Matt.

"I don't know," C.J. said, "Andre and his associate, Semour Piser…"

"I heard about him," Vince said, "He was a corrupt parole board member in Arizona who somehow got out of prison and wound up dead inside a crate floating in the Pacific Ocean months later."

"Duval got him out of prison to work for him," Matt said, "Duval was also tied to the Bannon County prostitution ring."

"The one that you wound up in when you crashed your car and got amnesia."

She nodded.

"Jesus," Vince said, shaking his head, "I've really been out of the loop."

"Vince, we need your help," Matt said, "You've got contacts in this region. We need to find out where Duval's compound is located."

"I think I know some people who can help you."

* * *

Jonathon hung up the phone to see Brad looking at him again.

"What's happened now?"

Brad sat down on a chair opposite from him.

"We've got some of the relatives showing up in the D.C. office and some heading to this one."

Jonathon closed his eyes and cursed.

"We've got nothing to tell them, Brad," he said, "We have no idea in hell who these women were. We might never know."

"I know boss, but how do you tell that to these people who have also lost their loved ones?"

Jonathon rubbed his forehead.

"How are the DNA registration cards coming for those missing women?"

Brad sighed.

"Even with the two extra agents, we've barely made a dent," he said, "Sometimes I forget how terrible this world can be and then something like this reminds me."

"They removed several fire-proof boxes from the compound," Jonathan said, "The FBI sent them to a lab. Hopefully, some of the stuff left behind can give us some leads."

"I thought you knew who was responsible," Brad said.

"I do," Jonathan said, "But unless we start to get some breaks soon, we might not ever be able to prove it."

* * *

Chris looked in Scott's office and saw him chatting on the phone, his back turned towards her. She fantasized about shoving him out of his seat and then stifled it. She put on one of her best smiles.

"Hey Scott," she said, "You got a minute?"

He turned around to face her.

"For you, of course."

"I finished up the last round of papers," Chris said, "And put them in separate folders."

He told the person on the phone he would get back to them later and gave Chris his full attention.

"That's very good," he said, "I'll proof them when I have time. Now I know you're a very conscientious employee but we've got make sure every "t" is crossed before we hand them to the feds."

She nodded.

"Of course," she turned to leave, then stopped.

"Oh I forgot, I brought on a temporary employee to help with typing up the forms," she said, "I hope you don't mind."

Scott folded his hands on his desk.

"No I don't mind," he said, "The more the merrier, who is she?"

"Her name's Kyra," she said, "She's coming in this afternoon. She volunteers at the Women's Center and has a real eye for figures."

He nodded.

"Then we can use her," Scott said, "Anything else?"

Chris shrugged.

"No," she said, "I'll get back to work so I can complete the second batch by the end of the day."

She left the office and he watched her go, shaking his head.

* * *

They sat at the table after they finished eating and discussed their next course of action. Vince listened carefully as Matt and Brady explained what they had set up so far in terms of doing recognizance on the group of islands where Marquis had owned some property.

"So this Antonio guy, he's an insider," Vince asked.

"He's did security as an independent contractor for Andre's so he comes and goes," Matt said, "He's setting up an appointment to meet with Andre's security director in the region but it's been tricky trying to locate him."

"If he's doing his job, it should be downright impossible."

Matt nodded.

"Antonio's been to several of Andre's compounds including the one in Washington," Matt said, "But not any in this region. Serena, our computer whiz is trying to match up coordinates found on the disk that Julia Martin left for C.J. after she died."

"But say you find this compound if it exists and say this Antonio guy can help you find a weakness and breach it, how are you going to know if Andre's even in the area?"

"That's where it gets tricky," Matt said, "No matter how much I think about that part of it, I can't get around the fact that we might have to set up a trap for him."

Vince paused.

"You know the only bait he's interested in right now is C.J."

Matt sighed.

"I know that," he said, "But there might not be any other way around that."

"So you think that you can keep her safe when he comes looking for her here with his men?"

"She's not going to be safe here for much longer anyway," Matt said, "Because he's going to find her anyway."

Vince looked from Matt to C.J.

"C.J., what do you have to say about all this?"

She looked at him, stonily.

"I'm not going to spend the rest of my life waiting for him to find me," she said, "I want to end this nightmare."

Vince looked at her and nodded.

"Okay, then we're going to have to make sure nothing happens to you."

"If he gets close to me, I'm going to kill him," C.J. said, quietly, "Or he'll have to kill me. I'm not going back with him alive."

She got up from the table and walked back to the kitchen.

Vince and Matt stayed there, finishing up their beers.

"This guy really did a number on her, didn't he?"

Matt looked at Vince.

"Yeah he did," he said, "And even when we get him, it's only going to be half over for her."

* * *

C.J. helped Bertha wash the dishes in the kitchen. They worked quietly, each lost in their own thoughts for a while.

"I want to help you," Elena said.

C.J. looked up at her, from where she had lain on her bed, not feeling really well. It had been several days since she had been brought back after Andre had shot Fernando dead in front of her despite her attempts to save him. One of the guards who had first brought her into this room and to the nightmare that waited inside it. Still, she hadn't done it to protect him…

"I don't need any help," she said, quickly.

Elena pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"I know you want to leave here," she said, "I'll help you if you want."

C.J. narrowed her eyes.

"Why would you help me?"

Elena looked thoughtful.

"You are very nice," she said, "You don't belong here."

"You don't belong here either," C.J. said.

Elena shrugged, then smiled.

"I'm where I am until I can go home again."

"He'll never let you go, Elena," C.J. said, "You'll never be able to earn enough to buy your freedom."

"You don't know that," Elena said, "Besides I have food, shelter, clothes…"

"But you aren't free," C.J. said, "And without that, those things don't matter as much as we think they do."

Elena smoothed out her jumper.

"I must stay but I will help you get out of here," she said, "Fernando would want this."

C.J. looked at the young girl, not knowing if she trusted her. Still, she knew she had to get out of this place if she was going to survive. She knew that the only thing that had saved her was Andre being called away on business suddenly. Some woman's tragedy elsewhere in the world had saved her life. At least for now.

"I do want to go home," she said, softly, but not without leaving with some evidence of this place so that when she did escape she could save lives other than her own.

* * *

"Penny for your thoughts," Bertha said.

C.J. looked up startled and saw the older woman looking at her.

"I was just thinking," she said, handing her a dish, "I'm sorry."

"No need to be," Bertha said, "My mind wanders when I do tasks that don't require much in the way of thinking. At least you haven't dropped any dishes yet."

C.J. smiled.

"I'm so glad that Vince is here."

"You are close friends with him?"

"Yeah, and his mother who used to have a restaurant out in L.A. before Vince retired from the LAPD on stress."

"He doesn't seem stressed right now."

"You should have seen him several years ago," C.J. said, "He had some bad ulcers that required surgery. They're occupational hazards for veteran cops but his were especially severe."

"So Matt met him through his work?"

"Yeah, they clashed a lot at first. Vince felt that Matt interfered with his department's work and Matt felt like they threw too much bureaucracy and red tape his way. Not exactly a match made in heaven."

"But they're so close now," Bertha said,"Like brother."

"Yeah, that happened about the time we met Mama," C.J. said, "I was taking the state bar so I could be more useful to Matt's company and I had this really horrible stomach ache the first day, but I had studied so long and hard that I took lots of Rolaids and ignored it for a couple of days."

"And it wasn't just a typical case of indigestion."

C.J. shook her head.

"It started out as appendicitis and after the appendix ruptured some time on the final day of the state bar, it turned into peritonitis."

Bertha gasped.

"That's nothing to fool around with," she said, "It can kill you."

"I had a lull in the pain so I thought I was better," C.J. said, "But it came back tenfold so by the time that Matt came to pick me up, I was in really bad shape. He was very upset and insisted I go to a hospital so we went to his car. In the middle of a traffic jam, the power went out in that part of the city and we were stuck."

"Oh my goodness."

"Matt left his car in the middle of the gridlock and carried me over to the businesses hoping to find one with a phone."

"And one of them was Mama's restaurant."

"Yeah, but when she first saw us, I guess she thought we were newlyweds getting all romantic and she told us the outage forced her to close her restaurant. When she saw how sick I was, she shooed us in and found a doctor to look at me. He said that I had to go to the hospital for emergency surgery or I would die. So Mama got on the phone and called her son, who came out in a helicopter to pick us up and take us."

"Did Matt know that Vince was Mama's son?"

"By the time he talked to him on the phone he knew but he was more worried about my life than any feud they had and by coming out, Vince saved my life too."

"So you became good friends," Bertha said.

"They're like family to us," C.J. said.

* * *

Chad walked into Jonathan's office.

"We got some early preliminaries on some of the things we found at the compound."

Jonathan looked up.

"Like what?"

"This…"

Chad thrust a fax over to Jonathan that depicted a strange creature on it.

"That's a chimera," Jonathan said, "C.J. mentioned it in her declaration. Andre had one tattooed to his bicep."

"She saw it?"

Jonathan nodded.

"She said he didn't have any other tattoos but that one."

"Wasn't there also some mention of this symbol in connection with some intelligence we got several years ago," Chad said.

"I remember something like that," Jonathan said, "I'll get someone to research it."

"Any other reference that you can recall?"

Jonathan thought back.

"I think Chris mentioned something about it coming up in interviews with women connected with the Bannon County prostitution ring. Several of them remembered a man named "Rico" who had a similar imaged tattooed to his arm."

"Is this "Rico" Andre Duval?"

"That's the theory," Jonathan said, "But again, no proof."

Chad sighed.

"Many trafficking rings adopt symbols like gangs do," he said, "The chimera must be the emblem for one of them."

"We'll run the tattoo through the national database and send it to Interpol," Jonathan said.

* * *

C.J. came out of the house to where Matt and Vince were sitting.

"You better hurry up," she said, "Before the guys get all the gelato. It's tiramisu."

Matt stood up.

"My favorite flavor," he said, walking off to the kitchen.

C.J. took her bowl and sat next to Vince.

"Thanks for coming," she said, "and thanks for the food. I didn't' realize how much I missed Mama and her cooking."

"She misses you a lot too," he said, "She's been very worried about you and Matt especially since he's hit the FBI's Most Wanted List."

"It's not quite that bad," she said, "They haven't come down here looking for us."

"But this Andre guy won't stop until he's looked everywhere and found you."

She nodded.

"He's nearly succeeded twice."

"I knew guys like him," Vince said, "Bottom feeding sociopathic scum. I'm really sorry you ran into someone of that ilk."

"Thank you," she said, "But he had help."

Vince sighed.

"Yeah Matt told me that Scott Prescow aided him in your kidnapping and that it had something to do with an incident that you were all involved in with Andre years ago in Boston."

"Yeah, I think that Scott thought he was safe all these years because Andre never came looking for him," she said, "But there was no need to until Andre rose in power because of what his father had given him. Then maybe he felt that as long as Scott had that evidence, he could be a threat."

"So he tracked Scott down before or after he returned to the fold of Houston Industries like some prodigal son and when he realized Scott didn't have it, he threatened him unless Scott could make it worth his while."

"Scott knew that Andre wanted me and he helped him get me."

Vince shook his head and reached out to rub her shoulder when he saw the sadness in her eyes. She smiled back at him.

"But the disk turned up in the end."

"Yeah, Julia had it and she hid it all these years. I only received it because she knew she was dying and that Scott would resurface."

"I heard the feds tried to question him but he won't break."

"No, he won't," she said, "Until they have something solid on him and he realizes that Andre won't help him."

"It will be tough to break him even then if he believes Andre will have him executed if he betrays him."

C.J. nodded.

"That's certainly likely," she said, "Given Andre's feelings about betrayal."

* * *

Jonathan put down the phone after talking to the FBI. Chad looked up from where he sat.

"What'd they say?"

"They're still looking at the evidence they have," Jonathan said, "but they might have found something to link to someone."

Chad's eye brows lifted.

"Well, that's certainly good news," he said, "What is it?"

"Some documents that look like payment invoices," he said, "Invoices with names on them including one suspected player in this situation."

"Andre Duval?"

"No," Jonathan said, "Scott Prescow."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43--Sorry it's been a while on this story. I finally got this chapter done and I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the comments!

* * *

Scott sat in his office, wondering what to do next. The files on his desk had sat in front of him for an hour after Kyra, the temp that Chris had hired had delivered them.

Kyra.

Her beauty had attracted him when they were introduced and the firmness of her handshake seemed in contrast to the softness of her skin. Still, he didn't know if he could quite trust her.

"I've got another box of files for you," Kyra said, bringing it in. He gestured for her to place it next to the stack of files.

"I thought Chris had you cataloging those," he said.

She smiled.

"Done."

He flipped through the box and sure enough each file wore its proper label and in its place. He smiled at Kyra.

"Anything else," she asked.

He hesitated and then shook his head.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like anything, like coffee?"

He looked at her standing in the doorway. A female employee after his own heart.

"All right, I'll take a cup. Cream only."

She left the office. He rubbed his hands and got back to work.

* * *

C.J. stretched her hamstrings at the end of the 10 mile run that Antonio had led them on through the jungle. Vince had gone to town to meet with Serena to help her with researching the disk and the island coordinates that it provided which included possible Duval properties. Matt walked up to her, brushing the sweat off of his forehead.

"It's sure humid today," he said.

She looked at him.

"As bad as Houston?"

He grimaced.

"Not quite as bad as summers there."

She hesitated not sure how to proceed.

"If we ever get out of this mess and can go home…"

He looked at her.

"We will."

She nodded.

"Okay, when we get to go home, I'm going back to Texas."

That surprised him.

"Why?"

"I don't want to return to L.A."

He nodded slowly.

"Because of what happened there."

She looked away.

"I know it's the easy way out…"

He put up his hand.

"No it's not," he said, "And you don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I know that's where everything is," C.J. said, "My home, my work, my life."

_You._

He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

"What do you plan to do in Houston?"

She sat down on a large trunk to rub her leg muscles.

"I don't know," she said, "As I've said, I've been doing a lot of thinking…"

He nodded.

"About those dreams you shared with Julia when you were younger."

"Yeah, and I think I might want to go after them."

He leaned against the log beside her.

"But why Texas?"

"It's where I did most of my growing up," she said, "It's where you grew up. And I want to do some work with the women's center."

"I think your skills are needed there and you'll be with friends."

She paused, trying to collect her thoughts.

"And I just want to be some place that feels like home," she said, "Where I can deal with everything that I've gone through and feel safe."

"I know this hasn't been the place or time to deal with all that here."

She stretched her arms out over her head to get the kinks out.

"You've made a huge difference in how I feel," she said, rubbing his back, "I'm so glad you're here with me."

Antonio walked up to them.

"We're heading back," he said, curtly.

They watched him go round up the others.

"He's really driven," Matt said.

"I know the feeling," C.J. said, "and if it were my sister, I wouldn't rest until I got her away from Andre."

Matt read the tone in her voice, saw the flicker of pain in her eyes.

"Did he hurt her?"

She shook her head.

"No, from what I could tell he treated her very well which is strange," she said, "He started in on me the same day I arrived and if he had gone after her, she never would have had a chance against him."

She pulled her jacket around her, focusing on the zipper.

"He didn't give you much of a chance, did he?"

She grew silent, her hands stilled and he knew she remembered.

"I fought as hard as I've ever fought for my life. I did everything I could. Everything I'd been taught to do," she said, "That's not always enough to save you."

She struggled to concentrate on her words which were outpaced by her memories. He stood back quietly and gave her room.

"I was walking to my car in the garage…the next thing I know I'm in a place where all the rules I lived under were gone and my own body wasn't mine anymore."

"He had no right to do that to you," Matt said, "And he's going to pay for that."

She turned around to face him.

"But he's done it so many times to women and he's still walking around free and his victims aren't."

"Many of them wound up dead," Matt asked.

She hid her eyes from him as she bent over to tie her shoe lace.

"We're all dead in some way."

"You're here and you're alive," he said, softly.

She shook her head.

"No, a part of me died that first night on the cold floor," she said, "I never felt fear so strong that I felt part of myself split away. After he left me, I just stayed there for hours, knowing he'd come back."

"C.J…"

"And the next night, he did."

She dropped off the log then started jogging to catch up with the others.

* * *

Jonathan sat in his office.

"I want to question that son of a bitch today," he said.

Chad put up his hand.

"We need more information."

"We've got enough," Jonathan said, "We've tied him to Duval's compound in Washington."

"But the information we found only pertains to his involvement with Duval when Duval was transporting drugs in Boston."

"Damn it, that proves Prescow lied to the FBI and to us," Jonathan said, "He denied any prior relationship of any form to Andre Duval."

"It's not enough that he lied," Chad said, "We need to tie him to Duval right now."

Jonathan sighed and rubbed his head.

"I want this guy to go down," he said, "I think if we can put the heat on him, threaten him with accessory and conspiracy charges to every crime we dig up that took place in Washington, he'll buckle."

"But we need to go to the FBI," Chad said, "They have primary jurisdiction over the federal matter."

"They won't let us in," Jonathan said, "Denton's very pissed off at us already."

"You can't blame him, Jonathan," Chad said, "The FBI feels we stepped on their toes."

Jonathan tossed his empty coffee cup on his desk.

"They are using our warrant to force a guy in who did nothing wrong and I'm not going to let them stop us from questioning a guy who probably did commit crimes."

"We have to work within our system," Chad said, "As frustratingly slow as that might be."

"We've got bodies up in Washington, Chad," Jonathan said, "We don't even know who most of them are and we might never know. We also don't know how many unmarked graveyards Duval has in this country let alone out there in the world."

"Maybe Ms Parsons has some idea," Chad said, "Which is one reason why we need to talk to her."

Jonathan shook his head.

"Not going to happen," Jonathan said, "There's no way Houston's going to allow that unless she decides that's what she wants."

"So persuade her."

"How," Jonathan said, "We can't even find them and we've not given her much less reason to trust us let alone put herself out in the open and risk Duval getting at her first."

"He's going to find her anyway," Chad said, "The guy's got money and connections and if it's true, he's a criminal, that side of him's going to be very formidable to find let alone catch."

"He's never been caught," Jonathan said, "But if Matt goes after him, it's not him getting caught I'd be concerned about. He'll be dead."

"Not unless he kills Houston first."

"Houston's got military experience and training in many areas not to mention other skills he's developed since," Jonathan said, "If he goes in with other people like that, he could get to Duval and take him out."

Chad looked at him then picked up the phone.

* * *

Chris stuck her head in Scott's office.

"May I come in a minute?"

Scott gestured her in and she sat in a chair.

"How's Kyra working out?"

He smiled.

"Very well actually," he said, "She's been very productive this morning and she brought me coffee."

"How nice," Chris said, "She's available as long as you need or want her."

"I thought she worked out of the womens' center."

"She's volunteering right now," Chris said, "She chose temping for now to pay her bills and because the schedule's flexible."

"I can give her several weeks of work and then we'll see."

Chris frowned.

"Murray is so thrilled with her he wants to hire her full-time."

Scott sighed.

"Well, Murray's probably in love with her already because he doesn't get out much, but someone's got to be practical here."

She nodded.

"That makes sense," she said, then looked at him, "That's awful what happened up in Washington isn't it?"

"What happened in Washington?"

"Oh how the FBI found all those poor dead women buried in unmarked graves, with their killers long gone."

Scott looked at his watch.

"That was terrible," he said, "A terrible tragedy."

"Though I did hear that they found a trove of information that could help them find those responsible so hopefully, they'll make an arrest."

"I would hope so," Scott said, "Anyone who would do something so heinous deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

"I think they deserve to be hung," Chris said.

"That's one way to handle it," he said, "Listen, I've got a meeting to go to in a few minutes, so if you'll excuse me."

He picked up his things and prepared to leave just as Roy walked in the office.

"Scott, did you happen to catch that news report about what happened…."

But Scott had gone. Roy shrugged his shoulders.

"He seemed really nervous when I brought up what the FBI found up at that compound."

"I'm not surprised," Roy said, "I know he's buried up to his neck in this involvement with these thugs and I bet he knows more than he's saying about a lot of things."

Chris smiled.

"I do too, which is why I just gave him some information about what the FBI found that might be a little…premature."

* * *

C.J ran along with the others but her mind wandered elsewhere with each footfall. As the trees of the jungle blurred alongside her, she saw herself back in her room at the compound lying on the ground in a fetal position. Standing in the shower trying to wash away any trace of him, until her skin turned as raw as her heart. Sitting on the bed, wrapped up in a towel trying to conjure memories of her favorite spot in the world to slow her heartbeat. She spent hours visualizing the garden in the backyard of a small house owned by Matt's father. Many times, she sat there sometimes alone, sometimes with her best friend smelling the heavenly scent of the gardenias and listening to the birds singing by day and after sunset, the crickets in the surrounding bushes. Her memories there had been her refuge during different times of her life but never more so than now. They got her through every time that Andre visited her. After a while, instead of him, she saw the garden.

She continued running as they reached the edge of the jungle and ventured onto the beach as mud merged into deeper mounds of damp sand. The bright sun which had been shielded by the jungle met their eyes and baked their skin. Humidity hung in the air and C.J. wondered if a storm approached as she saw clouds off in the distance towards the horizon. The group approached home base.

The smell of tropical flowers felt heady as they moved closer to the ocean. She watched the ships moving out in the ocean. Suddenly, she flashed to herself on the ground trying to push Andre away, smothered by the scent of his cologne. She tried to focus on the ocean, but instead stumbled over a log and fell in the sand.

Matt stopped and leaned over her.

"Are you okay," he said.

She grimaced.

"I think so," she said, "my foot hurts from hitting the log."

She tried to stand and limped a bit. Antonio jogged up to her.

"Can you finish the run," he asked.

She nodded but when she started running, she felt pain. He knelt and took off her shoe and sock, noting that her toes were already bruised. He felt them and she winced, as he examined them.

"Nothing broken," he said, "Get back and put some ice on them for a bit and they'll be fine.

She nodded, gingerly replacing her shoe.

"And watch where you're going next time," he said, before jogging to rejoin the others.

Matt helped her up again.

"Come on, we'll walk back," he said, slipping his arm around her shoulder. She shivered in response.

"You cold," he said.

"No, not really."

They continued walking in the sand.

"Houston?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember that garden we used to always sit in at your father's cabin?"

He nodded.

"It's beautiful," he said, "You know the gardenias that grow there were originally planted by my mother before I was born and she tended them whenever she stayed there up to the time when she died."

"They were so gorgeous and always in bloom."

"Yeah, my mother died when I was young so this was one of my only connections to her."

She heard the twinge of emotion in his voice and reached for his hand, taking it in her own. His strong fingers wrapped around her scarred ones.

"It was so peaceful there," she said, "I still think about it a lot."

"We spent hours there just talking about anything," he said, "And doing some other things."

She smiled.

"Doing what," she said, "We kissed once, that's all."

"I remember that," he said, "It was only our second one."

"Yeah…and I did call the stops on it but I didn't want to risk losing you as a friend in the long run."

He looked chagrined.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained," he said, smiling.

She stifled a laugh.

"True, but at least I didn't slip in a kiss and then make some frog noise to slip out of it."

He laughed.

"Oh…that. I was thanking you for helping win all that money from Bo and Lamar and besides, you made the pass that time."

"Yeah…"

She looked at a flock of birds flying out towards the fishing boats.

"C.J., why did you fall back there," he said, "You're usually quick on your feet."

She paused.

"Those memories hit me when I don't expect them," she said, "Sometimes I don't know what's real and what's not."

"So what happened?"

"Andre wore this cologne," she said, "The smell of those flowers outside the jungle was so strong…"

"That's because a storm is coming."

"Suddenly, I wasn't on the beach anymore," she said, "I was back there."

He stopped and drew her to him.

"Did my questions bring those memories back?"

She shook her head.

"No, they come of their own volition," she said, "I can't always control them."

"I had that problem after I got kidnapped," he said, "But you helped get me through it."

"They come and go now," she said, "Before I had the fear to stop them before I could really feel them but now because I feel safer, I'm struggling a bit more…"

"So you think about the garden," he guessed.

She nodded.

"It helps…sometimes," she said, "It works when I'm sleeping too."

* * *

Chad got off the telephone. He had made several calls while Jonathan sat in his office.

"Well, that was Denton's boss and he says they're reviewing the information and they might pay Scott a visit soon."

"That's good news."

"But they're stubborn on the warrant issue," Chad said, "Although if Matt and C.J. are out of the country, it doesn't mean much."

"I'm pretty sure they are," Jonathan said, "After all, he's got money too spread out all over the place."

"Any chance anyone can get him to give up?"

Jonathan laughed.

"Only C.J. and she's in agreement with him."

"Any other friends, relatives," Chad said, "Doesn't he have an uncle?"

"Ex-CIA or some covert agency who knows how to hide better than his nephew does."

"Any traces come back on his communications?"

"Yeah," Jonathan said, "That they were sent somewhere from the Western Hemisphere through some proxies."

"Damn," Chad said.

"You know, every second we waste going after him, needs to be spent on getting Duval."

Chad sighed.

"That's an uphill battle at best without getting our witness back."

Jonathan sat back in his chair.

"You know, when I first saw our witness again, she was dying."

"Obviously she recovered," Chad said, impatience in his voice.

"She was my mother's house with a very high fever from a bad infection that resisted most of the medications and since we couldn't afford to risk taking her to a hospital, we tried the very last one left in the arsenal and prayed."

"It worked."

"My mother sat by her bed and sang to her, songs she sung to me to get me to sleep when I was a child."

"That's nice but…"

"She didn't sleep at all the first couple of days," he said, "She was very agitated, said things that didn't make much sense. Then her condition turned around before dawn one day and she went into a deep sleep for several more days."

"What's the point of all this?"

"The point is, that she's a person, not a witness with some case number assigned to her."

"And..."

"The point is, that by all rights, we wouldn't have a witness to find if she didn't have a hell of a strong will to survive that's carried her to this point."

"She'll need it…"

"And she's with a man who will not let anything happen to her, no matter what. When it comes to her, that's the way he's always been. So the only thing we can do is just to stop looking and hoping that before they get to Duval, they'll decide to contact us first."

Chad shook his head.

"Didn't Houston say he would call us to pick up what's left of Duval?"

"He'll do that whether we find him or not but hauling him in will just leave her completely vulnerable to a man who won't stop until he finds her."

* * *

Roy checked in on Scott who never seemed to leave his desk when he wasn't meeting in the boardroom.

"Can I have a moment of your time," Roy said.

Scott sighed.

"Do I have a choice old man?"

Roy smiled and sat down.

"You always have a choice," Roy said, "Though it's getting a little late in the game for you to start making wise ones."

"What's that mean or am I supposed to just guess?"

"The answer should be obvious," Roy said, "You and my son were close friends once."

"Yes we were," Scott said, "And we'd still be if everyone would stop making such a big deal out of our spat a few months ago."

"Spat," Roy said, "Matt hit you because he realized that you knew more about what happened to C.J. and were keeping quiet about it. Surely not to protect her but it must have been your decision to protect someone."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Scott said, a flash of anger in his eyes that didn't match the calmness in his voice.

"Maybe not," Roy said, "But my nephew is family. C.J. is family. And I take care of my family. So I would advise you that you use this time to think about how you've led your life up to this point and reconsider some of your…future decisions."

Scott stared at Roy.

"Anything else?"

Roy shrugged.

"No, I just thought I'd run that past you."

"Consider it done."

Roy started to leave then stopped.

"By the way, that chap Simon Denton called from the FBI. They might be getting in touch with you real soon to schedule another interview."

Roy walked out, leaving Scott to wipe his forehead with his hand as he began to sweat.

* * *

Matt and C.J. reached the house where everyone else sat at the table. They all looked at him.

"What's up," he asked.

"We're going to town," Brady said, "Your friend Novelli thinks he's found Duval's island."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44---Here's another update to this story. I hope you like it and thanks for the comments! I didn't think this story would be quite as long when I started, lol, but I've enjoyed writing it.

* * *

Serena led them into her office where Novelli already sat next to her computer, looking at the screen. Matt held C.J.'s hand and she followed him to where they sat together.

"So where's the island," Matt asked.

Serena pulled up a map of their area of the Caribbean on the screen and pointed to a dot.

"That's us," she said.

She drew a line with her finger across the screen to another dot of similar size.

"That's his island."

Matt studied it carefully.

"How far apart?"

"About 80 miles," she said.

"Damn, we're right in his backyard," Brady said.

Serena nodded.

"The bigger dot to it is Sapphire Island," she said, "That's where we get supplies from time to time when we're in that area."

"So we've got to go to Sapphire Island and talk to some locals to see if they know anything about the compound," Matt said.

"Very discreetly ask," Serena said, "These people don't like or trust strangers much."

Novelli looked at Matt and C.J.

"They might recognize you," he said, "With your pictures floating around various 'wanted' lists."

Matt turned to C.J.

"Maybe you'd better stay behind on the recognizance trip. It might be too dangerous for you."

She looked in his eyes without blinking.

"I'm going," she said, "We talked earlier about disguising ourselves. Brady said he'd help us."

Brady nodded.

"I can do it," he said, "But no complaining about your outfits when you see them."

Matt raised a brow.

"Oh it's nothing embarrassing, I can promise that," Brady said, grinning.

"Okay, we'll send a boat out," Matt said, "Like it's a fishing boat going out in warmer waters for a bigger haul until we get to Sapphire."

The others nodded.

"We can probably leave in a couple of days," Brody said.

Serena looked at Novelli, who nodded.

"Just so you know, Matt," she said, "The warrant is still out on you with some extra language from the FBI on it."

Matt shrugged.

"I'm out of the country so they won't come looking."

C.J. drew a deep breath.

"What if they do decide to come down here or some local person turns him in?"

"Then he'll be taken into custody."

C.J. nodded. Matt watched her struggle to control the expression on her face.

"That's not going to happen," he said, "Besides they've got bigger fish to fry in this case and that should keep them plenty busy."

* * *

Jonathan got off the phone and called to Brad who had just walked past the doorway.

"We've got some potential IDs on a couple of the women and one soldier."

Brad entered the office and Jonathan slipped him a piece of paper to look at.

"I think one of these is on the missing list," he said, "The other, I'll have to back and check."

"Those are the only two that have been done so far," he said, "With DNA and dental records coming in slowly and with hundreds of names to go through, this could take a long time. It could also take forever."

Brad nodded, glumly.

"What about the ID on the soldier?"

"A guy named Fernando Tojas," Jonathan said, "He was shot in the head at close range, judging from the nice hole left in his skull. Tortured too, judging by the broken fingers."

"He was mentioned in Ms Parson's statement as being murdered by Andre."

Jonathan scratched his head.

"He's the guard that C.J. went through extraordinary means to try and save," he said, "and we're still not sure why."

"There were pieces missing in her version of events," Brad said, "Not much reference to Piser's death either."

Jonathan shrugged.

"Maybe she didn't see his murder or she doesn't know who did it."

Brad grew silent for a moment.

"There's another possibility we hadn't really considered yet."

"What's that?"

"Maybe she killed him."

* * *

C.J. waited in the reeds lying on the ground until she knew the men wouldn't find her. That they hadn't traveled so far downstream yet to know where to look for her. She crawled out on her belly, pushing her toes into the squishy mud. The chilled air surrounded her and she sucked in each breath of it, deep into her lungs. Her eyes blurred from the water as she looked around her for the best route out of the marshy area.

Her hands bled still, and she knew that some of the blood still on her clothes came from them but not all of it. She felt dizzy as both flashes of heat and ice hit her body. Her wrist ached and matched the shade of a swollen plum. Broken, she guessed from the choice she had been forced to make in just seconds as her window towards freedom began closing forever.

She tried to stand but her feet wobbled, numb so that she barely felt the ground beneath her. She looked around for a path through the wooded area away from the river. She knew that somewhere above her was a road because she had vague memories of being driven up to the compound while two men talked about what lay ahead for her.

She hobbled to a grove of trees then sat down carefully beneath one of them underneath the cover of a blanket of lower branches. She sat with her back against the solid wood to rest for a while, just for a few minutes to catch her breath. At some point, she closed her eyes and slept. Dreaming of home.

* * *

After talking to Serena, they all walked to the small café which served mainly pitchers of fresh brew and the catch of the day to eat some early dinner.

"We've still got a lot of planning to do, Houston," Novelli said, "The logistics on this operation when it's launched have got to be perfectly executed."

"I know Vince," Matt said, "And we've still got to figure out how to get Andre Duval down here."

"You're going to need my help for that," C.J. said, "That's the only way to bring him down here."

Matt shook his head.

"We'll worry about that when we get to it."

C.J. looked at him.

"No," she said, "We'll talk about it now."

"What's there to talk about," Matt said, "We're not risking your life."

"That's not what he wants," she said.

"She's right."

They looked up and saw Antonio approach them. He sat down beside C.J.

"How do you know," Matt asked.

"Because I still work with them," Antonio said, "Her bounty was just doubled but only if she's captured alive. If she's dead, they get nothing."

C.J. tried to smile gamely.

"I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted."

Antonio paused, wearing the hint of a smile.

"They're looking in the United States still, but it's only a matter of time until they come down here to search."

C.J. nodded.

"Isn't that what we want?"

Antonio agreed.

"When we're ready for him."

Matt didn't like the sound of that.

"I'm not putting her at risk," he said.

"If it's the only way to end this nightmare, then I don't see what choice there's to make," C.J. said.

"She's right," Antonio said, "She'll never have any chance of going back to her life as long as he's out there."

"Houston," she said, touching his arm, "This is how it has to be."

He looked at her a long moment then slowly nodded.

"We're going to take every precaution that is necessary to prevent anything from happening to her?"

Antonio nodded.

"We have to," he said, "We need her to get to Andre and find my sister."

"Elena."

"She usually stays close to Andre but she's at one of the compounds, perhaps this one while he's on business travels."

Matt considered that.

"But if you go after Andre and succeed in bringing him down, is that going to make Elena any safer or easier to find if she's not down here?"

"I don't know," Antonio said, "It could happen that way or one of his associates could take her some place where she'll never be found."

"Then it's a gamble," Matt said.

"Isn't life a series of them?"

C.J. looked up at Antonio, trying to find the words to ask him.

"Why does Antonio treat Elena differently?"

He met her question with silence. She thought that he misunderstood what she had asked.

"You mean different from women like you."

She nodded.

"I don't know," Antonio said, "But he treated you differently than most the women he comes across."

"I know, he said that once. That I was different. It certainly didn't make me feel special."

"You were very different," Antonio said, "He didn't sell you after sampling the merchandise."

C.J. rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"He threatened me with that if I didn't do what he wanted, but he never did go through with it."

"My other sister was the same but he did kill her," Antonio said.

"I'm really thankful that Andre didn't hurt Elena," C.J. said, "She was very sweet. Still, he treated her well when he clearly hates women. That's puzzling"

"He puts her in a gilded cage," Antonio said.

C.J. weighed his choice of words.

"Maybe," she said, "Because even though she's treated well, she's still not free."

"I want to give her back her freedom," Antonio said.

C.J. read the love for his sister in his voice and her eyes brightened.

"Maybe she'll have a chance to meet her brother."

Antonio looked at them, suddenly guarded.

"Elena is actually my half-sister," he said, "We share a mother. Different fathers."

C.J. and Matt looked at each other.

"Our mother had a relationship with another man when my father was indisposed and then got pregnant with Elena. My father took her back in and raised the baby as his own. I found out the truth when I returned from the military."

"Did your mother tell you anything about this man," C.J. asked.

"No she didn't," Antonio said, "She didn't even want to talk about him."

C.J.'s brows furrowed.

"But you think your father sold Elena because she was the product of an affair?"

Antonio nodded.

"The crops were destroyed from drought for two years straight so my family didn't have much food and less money to buy it and what they needed. But to sell Elena didn't make sense. It's not a custom of my people to do that to their children."

C.J. rubbed her eyes.

"How awful," she said, "She deserves a life with people who love her."

"Her mother loved her," Antonio said, "But last I heard, she took very ill. I'm not sure what's happened. I would go back and see her but I have to maintain my cover. No sentimental ties allowed. That would be a weakness which could be exploited."

"I doubt Elena knows anything about her mother," C.J. said, "All her memories she shared of her family were from when she was eight."

Antonio's expression grew soft.

"I wonder if she remembers me."

C.J. grew thoughtful.

"She mentioned a brother, an older one with dark hair who went away, one she really loved" she said, "I'll bet that's you. She used to tell me stories about her family life when I told her how much I missed my own."

She watched a smile break slowly on Antonio's face and knew she had brought some happiness in his world.

* * *

C.J. climbed up the rocky face, slowly inch by inch. She knew above it lay a road and roads traveled into towns. But first she had to reach the top and each foot she traveled cost her inches when she slipped back down. She thought of him most of the journey up, back to the days when he had taught her to rock climb when they had moved to California. Athletics came naturally to Matt and his lanky figure grew muscle rather easily betraying his intense interest in different sports. For C.J, came a love of the outdoors combined with endurance rather than muscular strength. Meaning that she could run, bike, swim and ride horses all day, but when it came to doing things like climbing up sheer mountain faces, those tasks didn't come as easily.

She remembered Matt's patience mixed with taunts more endearing in nature which served to motivate her to keep climbing even when her muscles screamed exhaustion. When they finally got to the top, they would spread out a blanket and eat beef jerky and energy bars, gazing across the valleys as far as they could see until the flat lands met more mountains which merged with the horizon. She imagined that he waited at the top of the gorge now, encouraging her to keep pushing past the pain to get to the top. She climbed slowly, careful not to favor her broken wrist because she needed all her dexterity and strength to keep climbing.

"Just ten more footholds," she heard him say.

She looked up and could almost see his face, but her vision had blurred. She wiped away moisture in her eyes and kept inching up. The cold wind froze her toes and whipped across her face. And still she kept moving towards him.

* * *

They walked back to their bungalow from the village. Matt looked at her several times, noticing she looked deep in thought.

"What you are you thinking about?"

She looked at him startled before smiling.

"How we used to go rock climbing in California," she said.

He grimaced.

"I never thought you really liked it," he said.

She looked pointedly at him.

"I loved it and I enjoyed going with you," she said, "It helped me get over my fear of heights."

He smiled.

"It was the least I could do," he said, "After all, you did help me get over my fear of the dark."

She felt her face flush and looked away.

"I have a confession to make," she said, "That was only partly my intention."

His smile widened.

"I know," he said, "But it really helped me get over my phobia."

"So I guess we're even," she said, her cheeks warm.

He nodded then watched her eyes darken.

"I'm still afraid of a lot of things," she said, quietly, "And I don't want to be."

He put his arm around her shoulder.

"I know," he said, "And if we need you to lure him down here, we'll make sure you're safe. I will make sure that you're safe."

She stopped to look up at him.

"It's not that I wanted to do it, but Antonio's right, it's the only way," C.J. said, "I just want us to go home. "

"So do I."

"I mean, I love the tropics…"

"Me too, but what I really want is a thick steak with baked potatoes."

She laughed.

"So do I," she said, "And a huge chili burger with a side of onion rings, dipped in ranch sauce."

"That will be my second course."

"And fresh apple pie..."

"Of course."

* * *

Chad and Jonathan worked to prepare an update to the D.C. office on the Washington investigation including the identities of several of the bodies discovered in the unmarked graves. Jonathan sat there pondering what Brad had said about the possibility of C.J. being Piser's killer. It's not that the thought hadn't occurred to him before but he rejected it because he believed it mattered little if they ever identified who killed Andre's associate. If C.J. had actually killed him, it must have been in self-defense but then why was that not stated? Several statements in her declaration implied that she may have been involved but the method of death remained unknown. Piser's remains uncovered from his floating makeshift coffin remained inside a storage locker somewhere in the DOJ's evidence laboratory.

"Brad said that two women and one soldier were identified?"

Jonathan looked up at Chad and nodded.

"He also mentioned that it's possible that Ms Parsons might be responsible for Semour Piser's death?"

Jonathon grimaced.

"It's possible, but if she did it, it would have to be self-defense."

"Is there any evidence in that case," Chad said, "Any DNA samples?"

"His, yes," Jonathan said, "Anyone else's? Not that was found. There wasn't much in terms of remains that wasn't skeletal."

"Do you have any DNA samples that could have been taken from Ms Parsons?"

Jonathan looked at Chad, surprised.

"Yes…We have her clothes that she wore when we picked her up in storage. There was some blood on them. Mostly hers which we can match up with earlier samples if that's the case but we could run DNA tests on her clothing."

"Is there any other way his DNA could show up?"

"I don't think so," Jonathan said, "She didn't have the contact with him that she had with Duval."

Chad sighed.

"I'll fill the paperwork to get her clothes located and sent to the lab for testing."

Jonathan ran his hand through his hair.

"Chad…"

Chad put his hand up.

"This is just to close out that part of the case," he said, "I have no intentions of aggressively investigating the killer of scum like Piser. In my opinion, he probably finally got what he deserved."

* * *

Kyra poured beer in her glass from the pitcher that Chris passed around.

"He's a creep," she said, "A nice looking one but I could tell he was definitely a creep when I first walked into the office."

Chris rubbed her shoulder.

"I know this is difficult, but you did great with Scott," she said, "I think he likes you."

Kyra made a face.

"So what's next?"

"Just keep an eye on him," Chris said, "While we try to find a way to get him to incriminate himself and his connection to Andre."

"I'll try my best," Kyra said, "But he didn't mention anything at all but working at Houston Enterprises."

"We have to get his guard down," Chris said, "But I ran into Roy and he said the feds are planning to interview Scott again."

Fran rolled her eyes.

"They interview him almost every week and still nothing."

Chris sighed, reaching for a buffalo wing.

"But this is the first planned interview after the FBI went to Washington," Chris said, "So hopefully the tide is turning."

"It would be about time," Fran said, "How cold and evil can a person be to do what he did to C.J?"

"Scott's probably more concerned about Scott than anyone else. Besides she figured him out before anyone else did."

"I noticed that about him," Kyra said, sipping her beer, "Does Matt know that Scott's planning on asking him to give a promotion when he gets back?"

Chris and Fran looked at each other.

"Matt's going to kick the crap out of Scott if their paths cross again," Fran said.

Chris poured some more beer.

"Hopefully for his own safety, he'll be locked up in jail by then. I'd hate to see a good man like Matt go to jail for murder."

* * *

"Look at the clouds," C.J. said, pointing ahead of them, "They'll be on shore soon."

"Are we going to make it?"

"I think so," she said, "If we hurry."

He grabbed her hand and they ran the rest of the way down the road trying to beat the rain clouds back to the bungalow.

"We should have left with the others," she said.

"And miss that sunset," he said, "No way. What's a little rain anyway?"

The winds picked up and the trees started swaying as the storm clouds moved onto land, bringing heavy rain. Soon, they were both drenched.

"So much for a little rain," Matt said, as they stopped running.

"At least it's warm," she said, feeling it splash on her face.

"We're almost there," he said, "I think I can see it."

They reached the bungalow and inside as the thunder crashed across the sky.

"Not much different than Houston in the summer time," C.J. said, laughing as she shut the door.

"We'd better get out of our wet clothes," he said, disappearing into his room.

C.J. changed into sweats and a light jacket, and gently brushed the tangles out of her hair. She went to the kitchen and put a kettle on to make some tea. Matt joined her in the kitchen also dressed casually.

"Would you like anything," she said.

He got himself a mango and began slicing it.

"Want to share it," he asked.

She took some slices and some tea and headed to the couch. She stretched out and invited him to join her. He did and put his arm around her as she placed her face against his chest. They sat there listening to the rain patter on the roof for a while. Her eyes grew heavy.

"You made Antonio's day today if such a thing is possible," Matt said.

"He's aloof and he's mysterious and I still don't really trust him," C.J. said, "But I do believe he really loves his sister and wants to find her."

"It might be a long shot," Matt said, "She could still be anywhere in this world."

"I hope we get lucky," she said, "I want a happy ending for that story."

He drew her closer and stroked her back as her eyes drifted shut, thinking.

_I want a happy ending for this one._


	45. Chapter 45

* * *

Chapter 45- Here's another installment. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

Novelli stood on the deck of the boat, as both Brady and Zeke prepared it to set sail for Sapphire island. The sun shone brightly and the sea appeared as smooth as spun glass clear to the horizon. Bertha boarded the boat with some food and drinks packed away in ice chests to be stored below.

Zeke looked back up at Novelli.

"So is this Antonio guy going to meet us there or what?"

"I'm thinking that he'll be very discreet about meeting anyone so close to Duval's compound," Novelli said.

"We've been to Sapphire dozens of times and we never knew that this trafficker was operating in our midst."

Novelli reached for his coffee.

"That's often how it is with the smartest criminals," he said, "It's called hiding in plain sight."

"How does he get away with it?"

"His father paid off the heads of the governments who had jurisdiction over the islands he hid out on," Novelli said, "I imagine the son does the same thing."

"Money can be a pretty strong incentive to mind your own business," Zeke said, nodding.

"But only for a while before curiosity usually gets the best of the wrong person," Novelli said, "Then the game is up."

* * *

C.J. and Matt waited for Brady to return with their outfits.

"I wonder what we'll be wearing," she said, looking around at the photographs of fish that adorned Brady's office.

"Knowing Brady, it could be just about anything."

"I hope this trip's going to be worth it."

"It's definitely a good place to start," Matt said.

She wrapped her arms around herself.

"You're right and the sooner we get started, the sooner we know."

He noticed the tension in her body that betrayed the calmness in her voice.

"Are you going to be okay with this?"

She nodded.

"If there's any chance to help Elena, that's what I want to do and to stop Andre."

"Well, that's the plan," Matt said, "Hopefully, we'll get real lucky and she'll be someplace close and he'll be with her."

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt," C.J. said.

"We'll take precautions so that doesn't happen."

Still she looked doubtfull.

* * *

Elena sat at her desk, looking out the bay windows at the trees swaying in the morning breeze. The sun had baked the area during the past several days, as an unseasonably heat wave had drifted inland.

She looked back at her notes that she had taken from a meeting with some event planners for an upcoming party. Andre hadn't given her many details about the event, which wasn't like him but she worked with what little information she had been given.

"I'm leaving for a few days on business," he had said, a day ago.

"When will you return," she asked.

His face became inscrutable.

"I'll know in the next day or so but I shouldn't be gone long."

She nodded.

"I'll work on the arrangements for this party," she said, "But it would help if you gave me…"

"You have all the information that you need," he said, "I will fill you in on the rest when I call in the next day or so."

"Where will this party be?"

He started to say something then stopped.

"I will give you that information later."

She looked at him.

"I had hoped you would stay longer," she said.

"That is not possible," he said then he softened, "Maybe next time."

He looked at her for a moment, then turned around and left the office. She looked at him after he left, catching a faint whiff of his cologne that he always wore.

She returned to her work, hoping to complete it early so she could take a break and sit out in the garden for a while. Then she would take a wrap with her and walk to the village to look around, maybe catch a coffee at an outdoor café. She worked long hours and hadn't had much time to explore the area outside the compound.

She felt torn every time she saw Andre. Between her own experiences with him where he never said an unkind word and what others had told her. She brushed her long hair back with her fingers and put it in a bun, her mind retreating to the past.

* * *

She had picked up the tray to leave after C.J. had finished eating.

"Your appetite is improving," Elena said.

"The food's not bad."

Elena looked at the young woman, who had lost weight in the several weeks that she had known her.

"You still need to eat more."

"I usually do," C.J. said, "I used to get teased while growing up that I had hollow legs."

Elena frowned.

"Hollow legs?"

"Oh, it's a saying, meaning that the more I ate, the more hungry I felt."

Elena nodded, still puzzled.

"Who would tease you that way?"

C.J. smiled.

"My best friend," she said, "We grew up together. I teased him a lot too about other things but it was all in fun."

"Does he know you're with the senor?"

C.J. shook her head, her eyes darkening.

"No he doesn't," she said, "He went away for a while because the woman he loved wouldn't marry him. She left him at the altar."

Elena sat down at the table curious despite herself.

"Was that you?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No, another woman he had met while working on one of his cases," she said, "He's a private investigator."

"Like police?"

"No, people hire him to help them find someone or something they've lost."

Elena grew thoughtful. Then her eye caught something.

"Did he give you that necklace?"

C.J. looked down at her emerald necklace that she always wore next to her. She touched it with her fingers.

"Yes he did," she said, "On my birthday. He knows it's my favorite stone."

"It's beautiful," Elena said, taking a closer look, "He must really be a good friend to give you such a gift."

"The best a friend could be in ways that are much more important than emeralds," C.J. said, "I miss him."

"Surely you will see him," Elena said.

But when Elena saw C.J.'s eyes, she saw tears.

"I don't know if I ever will," she said, "I didn't come here of my choice."

Elena frowned.

"What do you mean?"

C.J. drew a deep breath and exhaled.

"I was kidnapped."

* * *

Matt looked at his watch.

"I'm hoping Brady shows up soon," he said.

"He's probably still loading the boat," C.J. said, looking at the pictures on the wall.

As if he had heard their words, Brady walked in the office, carrying some clothes.

"So you figured out what we're supposed to be wearing?"

Brady looked at Matt.

"It was difficult but I came up with some angle that should keep your identities quite hidden."

He put the clothes on his desk, then raised a black garment with white trim.

"This is for the lady…"

C.J. took a closer look.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Brady beamed.

"Yes indeed," he said, "What do you think?"

"I'm going to be posing as a…nun?"

He nodded.

"Clever, isn't it?"

She thought about it.

"Well, I did work undercover as one on one of our cases," she said, "I think I can pull it off."

"That she can," Matt agreed.

"There's a convent on the island, near the village," Brady said, "So if people see you as a nun, they won't look at you twice. Much better than comparing you to a wanted poster."

"You have a point."

"So what am I going as," Matt asked, "I'm almost afraid to ask."

Brady picked up another outfit.

"You're going as a military man on leave."

Matt breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that I can do," he said.

Brady looked at his watch.

"We set sail in about 15 minutes," he said, "We need you on top during the voyage so you can change when we get there."

Both nodded as Brady left his office. Matt turned to C.J. to say something but she wagged her finger at him first.

"Don't even say it…"

He held up his hands.

"I wouldn't know what to say."

He carried his disguise with him as he left the office. C.J. started to follow then caught herself in a mirror. She held up the nun's outfit against her, shaking her head.

* * *

"What do you mean you were kidnapped," Elena said, looking at her.

C.J. looked away.

"I'm not with Andre or the senor because I want to be," she said, "One night, I was walking in the parking garage where I work to my car. Some men abducted me and brought me here."

"Why?"

"Because Andre ordered them to do it," she said, "and then when they brought me to him, he paid them."

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know what made him do it," C.J. said, "But when he's here, he comes in at night and forces me...I don't want him to do those things."

Elena got up out of her chair.

"No…he wouldn't…"

"He does and I don't think I'm the first."

Elena put her hands over her eyes and sat on the bed.

"My first night here, I tried to get away but there was no escape," C.J. said, "I screamed but no one came to help me. I still smell his breath on my face, that cologne he wears."

Elena looked up at her.

"I know that cologne," she said, "But…"

Elena looked distant.

"The guards," she said, "I heard them say they heard screams but they are used to them."

"I didn't scream any more after that."

"Why would he do such a thing," Elena said.

"I don't know…," C.J. said, "But he did and he will when he returns."

"I don't know if I believe you."

C.J. looked at Elena directly.

"He killed Fernando right in front of me," C.J. said, "Even after I gave him what he wanted to try to save him and…you."

Elena's eyes narrowed. C.J. closed her own, her heart beat echoing in her ears.

"That was the worst night of all."

"Me, why did you think you were helping me?"

C.J. sighed.

"If Fernando had been tortured anymore, he would have told Andre about you and the friendship you shared."

"Andre would never hurt me," Elena said.

"I hope you're right but I don't think so," C.J. said, "And I'm not staying around and waiting to see what he has planned for me when he returns. "

She fingered her necklace again.

"I want to see the people I love again."

"So what are you going to do," Elena asked.

"I'm going to try to escape."

* * *

C.J. looked at the mirror, returning to the present. She saw Matt walk up behind her.

"C.J. are you ready to go," he asked.

She turned around and nodded.

"I was just thinking about that necklace you gave me."

"Did you lose it," he said, "I notice you're not wearing it."

"No, I didn't lose it," she said, "It's in good hands."

He looked at her, confusion clouding his eyes but said nothing.

She smiled.

"I'll tell you about it later."

They walked out of the office towards the boat. Novelli waved to them from where he stood and they smiled at him as they climbed into the boat and took their positions. Zeke pulled the anchor and they pulled out of the dock.

* * *

Jonathan sat at his desk, frowning. He heard a knock on the door and expecting to see Brad, he looked up and instead saw Rhonda. His eyes lit up in surprise.

"Oh, before you call for security, I come bearing gifts."

She placed some bags on his desk and started pulling containers out.

"It's from a really cool Tex-Mex place, not too far away from here," Rhonda said, "Probably a little off the beaten path as far as your taste in cuisine."

He began clearing the papers off of his desk.

"No, no," he said, "It's perfect. I've spent the entire week eating either fast food hamburgers or from the deli."

She set down some plates and utensils and they both served themselves. Jonathan took a bite and raised his eyebrows.

"Not bad," he said, "In fact, it's quite good."

"You like Tex-Mex?"

He shrugged.

"My mom cooks the best…at least in Colorado."

"That must be a beautiful place to live," she said.

"It's beautiful," he said, "Majestic mountains and a valley that stretches for miles, covered with ranches."

She picked up the nostalgia in his voice.

"You must miss it," she said.

"Occasionally," he said, "But I've grown to love city life, lots of people, big tall buildings and plenty of things to do during the few moments I have free time to do them."

She looked around his office.

"You must be busy all the time with these cases," she said.

He looked wary.

"Look, if you're trying to get information on C.J.'s case, I can't…"

She looked indignant.

"That's not why I came here," she said, "I was worried they hadn't fed you."

He relented.

"Okay, I'm sorry," he said, "I just know how you, Fran and Chris have been trying to play detective and you're in way over your head."

"Well, aren't you?"

He frowned in mid-bite.

"What do you mean," he said, "I'm trained to do this."

"But you know C.J.," Rhonda said, "You had a relationship with her and even if that's in the past…"

"It is."

She looked at him and then continued.

"It's got to affect you when you think about what she's been through."

"It does affect me, Rhonda," he said, "Because I care about her, but what it does is make me work much harder."

"But you can't get this guy," she said.

"We still need to get proof and that means building a house of evidence brick by brick."

"How many bricks do you have?"

He looked at his plate.

"Not many," he said, "Duval has got connections elaborate enough to help him keep his nose clean. Now you know he's guilty. I know he's guilty but we can't prove it."

"This must be difficult for you," she said.

"It's the hardest part of the job," he said, "Wanting really badly to bust someone and having your hands tied."

"Not exactly what you signed up for is it?"

He looked at her.

"No, but I wouldn't take that decision back."

* * *

C.J. looked out across the ocean as she stood near the bow watching it cut through the surface of the water like butter. Brady had given Novelli a tour of the boat and put him at the helm and Novelli had acquitted himself admirably.

Matt came up and tossed C.J. a water bottle which she caught.

"Good day for being out in the water," he said, standing next to her, "Not too hot, not too humid or windy."

She placed her hand on her brow to look out ahead.

"We're almost half way there," she said, "Then we'll find out if we're in the right haystack."

He reached for her hand.

"I'll never be far away," Matt said, "I'll make sure nothing happens."

"I know you will," she said, "But if he's on the island…"

"We'll be careful," he said, "And we're not going in half-cocked on this one. This is for recognizance only."

She nodded.

"What if we're in the right place and it's too fortified," she said, "What if we need the feds?"

He sighed.

"I think we better find out what the situation is first before we contact anyone."

"I know," she said, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

He embraced her, stroking her hair.

"We're both going to be fine," he said, "And if it turns out we do need outside help, I'll contact them myself."

* * *

Jonathan and Rhonda enjoyed the meal that she had brought them.

"I told you this place was great," she said, spooning up the last of it.

"I think I've found another place to add on my lunch list."

She laughed.

"Do you ever even take lunch breaks?"

"No, not really."

Brad stuck his head in the office.

"Boss, I hate to interrupt you," he said.

"What is it?"

Both Jonathan and Rhonda looked at Brad, expectedly.

"We made two more IDs on the women," he said, "They were abducted in Arizona and may have been part of the Bannon County prostitution ring."

"Oh my god," Rhonda said.

"Are you sure," Jonathan said.

"We think so."

Jonathan stared ahead.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, we sent Parsons' clothes in for DNA testing," Brad said.

Rhonda looked at Jonathan.

"What the hell is going on here," she said, "Why would you need to test C.J.'s DNA? She didn't do anything wrong."

Brad just looked at Jonathan who raised his hand.

"Wait a minute here," he said, "Who said she did anything wrong?"

Rhonda folded her arms.

"If you didn't think she did, why would you want her DNA?"

"It's part of the investigation."

"Meaning you can't say anything about it," she said, "But you can't unring the bell, can you? You've got to tell me that you're not investigating her for any crime."

"Will you hold on for a minute," Jonathan said, "We're not investigating her as a perpetrator. We're trying to find out if there's blood on her shirt matches someone else."

"Who? Because you must be thinking of someone in particular."

Jonathan looked at Brad, then at her and sighed.

"Semour Piser," he said, "My boss thinks she might have killed him."

Rhonda sat back and digested that, then she got mad.

"I hope she did," Rhonda said, "If she needed to do that to get away."

"Rhonda…"

"Don't you tell me what to say," Rhonda said, "Piser was an animal, just like the man who held his leash. By all rights, he should be in prison on murder charges for all those women he killed in Arizona."

"I'm not arguing with that," Jonathan said.

"But he got out and he wound up working for Andre again and they've destroyed the lives of even more women, many of whom are just as dead as those poor women in Arizona. But he's dead now and that's almost as good. But that only happened because he had powerful friends who sprung him long enough for him to disappear."

Jonathan hesitated.

"I know that it's difficult to understand how the justice system works," he said, "But we're not trying to close the book on the Piser murder by pinning it on C.J. We're trying to get at the truth of what happened up in Washington."

"What happened there is what happened in Bannon County and everywhere else," Rhonda said, "Women that no one cares about getting exploited and murdered."

"We care about these women," Jonathan said, quietly.

"Only after a lot of damage has been done," she said, "After all, if it hadn't been for your fugitive Matt Houston, Andre and Piser would still be running that ring in Arizona and Piser only got busted because he and Sheriff Butz targeted the wrong woman."

"They would have been busted eventually," he said, "They were getting careless."

She nodded, thoughtfully.

"Yeah eventually," Rhonda said, "With how many more dead or lives ruined. At least C.J.'s with a guy who is willing to take all of you on, good or bad, to protect her. But that's love for you."

"I loved her…"

"Then do something that will indicate that you're willing to work with Matt and not go against him."

She picked up her things and left the office with both Jonathan and Brad staring after her.

* * *

C.J. sat in the truck, looking sideways at the woman who drove it. The woman had been the first motorist who had stopped to pick her up at the side of the road. And C.J. didn't need a mirror to figure out why. She looked at her hands which were crusted with dirt and dried blood and felt the itching from cuts drying on her forehead. Her injured wrist sat in her lap, throbbing now that the warmth of the car heater replaced the numbness of the cold outside.

The woman looked at her.

"Are you feeling okay," she said, "You look like you've been through the ringer."

C.J. looked at her lap.

"I'm fine…," she said, "I had an…accident."

The woman looked her over with a critical eye.

"What was his name?"

C.J. glanced over at the woman's face, lined with empathy. But the truth had to wait. She needed to get to a safe place before they found her.

"There isn't one," she said, "I fell."

"He'll kill you next time if you go back," the woman said, "But I would guess I'm not the first person to tell you that."

C.J. remained silent, looking out the window.

"Do you need the police?"

She turned her face around quickly to look at the women.

"No cops," she said.

"Who you staying with," the woman asked.

"I don't know…"

"If you don't know...If you don't have a plan, he'll find you..."

* * *

C.J. looked out at the ocean and saw islands in the distance. She shivered despite herself. Novelli and Matt joined her as they approached Sapphire Island.

"Is that it," she said, pointing to the largest in the chain.

Novelli nodded.

"I've been there a time or two myself," he said, "Didn't stay long enough to get acquainted with the locals."

Matt looked at C.J.

"We'd better get changed," he said, "The performance is about to begin."

She nodded, as Sapphire Island grew larger in front of them. She followed him down the steps below the deck.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46---Here's an update to this story. I've been busy updating both "Mustang Madness" and the cross-fiction with Walker: Texas Ranger. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter and thanks for your feedback!

* * *

They moored the boat to the dock, which wobbled when they jumped on to it to secure the lines but held fast. Zeke tossed up some line to Novelli who deftly caught it and pulled it up. Brady climbed down from the lookout to go down below deck to alert Matt and C.J. that they were ready to go on shore.

C.J. looked at herself in the mirror dressed as a nun, her dark hair tucked up in a bun so that she could fit the headpiece on. She tried to get it to fit on straight, but it kept tipping to the side. Finally, she managed to get it to behave after some praying. She slipped the rosary around her waist.

Matt knocked and after she told him to come in, he entered and his eyes widened.

"Excuse me Sister…"

"Sr. Marianne," she said, "And you are…"

"I'm Corporal Benjamin Cooper on leave."

She turned and raised a brow at Matt dressed in a military uniform.

"Now that's a sight I haven't seen in a long time," she said.

"The moment I put it on, I felt I was back in the service."

"You look handsome," she said, adjusting his collar, "but then you always did."

"I remember how we used to go to Martha's Vineyard when I had leave while you were at Harvard."

She smiled.

"I remember the time we went on your bike," she said, "and camped on the beach, looking at the stars."

"There weren't as many as there are here," he said, "but there were enough."

She fidgeted with her rosary.

"You know, Julia used to tease me about going off with you and not…how did she put it?"

Matt's mouth rose into a smile.

"She had many different ways of putting it."

"You know what I mean," she said, "Having a more physical relationship."

"Well, we were always in relationships with other people," he said, "Most of the time."

She nodded.

"I know Jonathan got upset with me one year when we went to Cape Cod," she said, "He had a hard time believing that we're just friends."

"Some of my girlfriends at that time did too."

"Yeah, I remember one of them, Tammy I think, threw your class ring back in your face after we got back."

"I remember that," he said, "She left me for the president of the Debate Club."

She paused, smoothing the creases in her habit.

"Jonathan and I weren't going to make it anyway," she said, "It wasn't the trip to Cape Cod that did it."

He looked at her.

"I felt badly about that," he said, "I know you loved him."

"I did, Houston," she said, "but we never ready had a chance. When I met him, I really liked him right off. He was really nice and charming, but the night I met him was the night I met Andre and that incident changed the course of our relationship."

"The night you met Jonathan, you both almost died," Matt said, thoughtfully.

"Our relationship intensified much faster than I think it would have otherwise, but it didn't last as long," she said, "We're pretty much opposites in many ways and it took a while for those differences to catch up but they did. It really had nothing to do with Cape Cod."

"He obviously still cares about you," Matt said, "And in his own way, I think he's tried to help you."

She nodded.

"I know that," she said, "It's not his fault the way things happened."

"No it's not," Matt agreed, "As for his supervisors, that's a different story."

* * *

Brady looked in and saw them there.

"We're ready to go onshore," he said.

"Has Antonio contacted us yet," Matt asked.

Brady shook his head.

"We're supposed to go to the bar on the corner of the main strip," he said, then looked at C.J. "except the nun."

"So what's the plan exactly?"

"We're going to enter into a poker game," he said, "You'll join us with your month's pay."

"Maybe C.J. and I should switch places," he said, "She's the ace poker player."

Brady laughed.

"She's going to be needed later."

Matt nodded.

"As long as she's covered at all times," he said.

"She will be."

They left the cabin to walk up to the desk.

* * *

Matt pulled at his collar, as sweat broke out on his skin as the day grew hotter. C.J. walked to a bench and sat down, watching the activity around her. The others went inside the bar to meet up with some contacts over a friendly game of poker and a couple rounds of drinks.

Matt had sat at the bar and ordered a scotch, watching Zeke and Brady approach a group of older men with leathery skin sitting around a table. American money and jewelry sat on the table, while the men looked at the cards given to them by the dealer.

After about an hour, Matt looked at his watch and walked over to the table.

"May I join in," he said, "My money's burning a hole."

After sizing him up, the men nodded.

"I'm Ben," Matt said, as the others introduced themselves quickly before emerging themselves back in the hands that had been dealt them.

The dealer tossed him some cards and Matt picked them up. Not bad.

Zeke tossed a chip in the pot.

"I'll take a card," he said, "This is a nice operation you have here."

A man with a scar on his face remained expressionless.

"We like to keep it that way," he said, "So we lie low and don't answer many questions by strangers."

Zeke shrugged.

"Fair enough," he said, tossing another chip in the pot, "We've always had an understanding Ivan."

Ivan looked around the bar.

"Things have changed since you've last been around," he said, "There's a new jefe now. The man you are looking for is now in charge of the harbors here."

"So I've heard," Zeke said, sipping from his vodka and rum, "But what does that mean for you and your men?"

"It means we watch every step we take carefully when he's in town."

"So he doesn't live here?"

Matt watched the conversation very carefully from behind his cards.

Ivan flipped a card back to the dealer for another one, in one smooth motion but his eyes betrayed a layer of wariness.

"He doesn't come here much," Ivan said, "But he has some property up in the hills."

"Is he here now," Zeke asked.

Ivan looked at him for a long moment, his hands trembling slightly.

"No, you just missed him," he said, "The man you're looking for left the island two days ago."

* * *

C.J. sat on the bench, watching some kids playing in the street while women led burros or small horses carrying packs around them. She felt the sweat beading below her habit and fanned her face with a newspaper.

Antonio dressed in a black outfit and wearing shades approached her.

"Good afternoon Sister…"

"Marianne."

He nodded and sat down next to her.

"The action's going on inside," she said.

"I'll go in there in a minute," he said, "I want you to pray for me."

She looked at him, then she nodded and bowed her head.

"Andre left the island two days ago to tend to some business," Antonio said, "He's planning an event, another gala of sorts but no one knows where or those who do aren't talking."

"That's how it usually works," C.J. said, "But he must be giving some kind of notice to his security."

"Maybe his inner circle," Antonio said, "but most of the other men are as much in the dark as I am."

C.J. sighed.

"Every time he goes on these business trips, other women suffer," she said, fingering her rosary, "I used to be relieved when he was gone."

Antonio put his hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find him and if we have to, we'll lure him back here."

She nodded.

"Any luck on finding Elena?"

He frowned.

"I just got here," he said, "I haven't had a chance to really try to find out."

"Well, maybe you'll be lucky and she's not far."

He looked down at his hands.

"That would be good," he said, standing up.

"I'd better get inside and find out what's going on," he said.

C.J. watched him go inside the bar and then returned to her thoughts.

* * *

She looked beneath her bed, where she stashed some pieces of metal she had pried off from wherever she could find any inside her cell. She picked the pieces up, wrapped them in a napkin and then stashed them beneath her mattress. After casing her cramped quarters, she knew that it would take every resource she could find in order for her to have any chance of escaping from this place.

She heard her door open and climbed back on her bed, lying down. Piser walked over towards her.

"Just checking to make sure you're still here," he said.

She sat up and moved to the wall away from him.

"You really think that I'm not aware that you might take advantage of Andre's absence to try and escape."

She just looked at him, silently. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off the bed. She staggered to her feet but didn't fall.

"I really wish that you and I could have become better…acquainted, before he killed you."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," she said, trying to ignore the pain in her arm.

"I don't trust you, but he left you in my charge until he returns and no one is supposed to touch you."

"I guess you just broke that rule," she said.

"Of course you could try to persuade me to get him to spare you."

"You don't have that kind of power."

He stroked her face.

"I have more than you do."

C.J. made her body go limp and closed her mind off to the world around her. She thought of warm, sandy beaches, riding across a spring meadow on horseback and the garden filled with gardenias and crickets.

"He's not going to change his mind when he returns," he said, letting her go.

She stared up at him.

"I hope not."

He stared at her for a long moment, then walked out. She curled up on her bed, slowing down her breathing and then when she felt calm, she reached beneath her mattress for the bundle.

* * *

Matt watched as Antonio approached their table. He hadn't won a hand in this poker game yet but fortunately still had his shirt. Ivan gestured to Antonio and he sat down. Obviously the two knew each other.

"So how much money did you bring today," Ivan said.

Antonio's face didn't move.

"Only a grand or two I'm afraid," he said, "it's a while until payday."

"It will just get you in this game."

Zeke tossed a chip in the pot, followed by Antonio who received his hand then swapped two cards.

"He's not due back for a while," Antonio said, sticking his new cards with the rest.

Zeke sighed.

"Sounds like we just missed him," he said.

Antonio nodded.

"So did I."

"We're going to have to lure him back to the island," Zeke said, "And our bait's not ready."

Ivan nodded.

"That woman he's searching for all over," he said.

"She's hiding now," Zeke said, "No where near here."

Matt folded that round.

"Excuse me," he said, getting up, "I've got to get some fresh air."

The men watched him leave and Zeke shook his head.

"Too rich for that sea dog's blood."

* * *

Matt walked outside and saw C.J. sitting on the bench, looking across the street. He sat down next to her and she didn't seem to notice.

"Hey there," he said.

She looked up at him.

"Game over already," she said, "or are you out of money?"

He smiled.

"Let's go for a walk."

She looked around.

"A sailor walking with a nun," she said, "What will people say?"

"Less than they would if two fugitives were seen together."

She nodded.

"You've got a point," she said, "Okay, I'm ready for a break and check this place out."

They began walking down the quiet street. Most of the people that had been there earlier went home to seek respite from the mid-day sun. The humidity felt oppressive, the fabric of the habit irritated C.J.'s skin.

"Antonio said that Andre left the island a couple of days ago," C.J. said, "I'm disappointed and relieved at the same time."

He looked down at the ground.

"I can understand that," he said, "But now it gets more dangerous."

She stopped as they approached the entrance to a courtyard surrounded by a church. Tropical vines of assorted flowers covered the concrete arch like a tapestry. They walked inside of it.

"It looks peaceful," she said, looking at the sculpted gardens with tropical flowers and vines intertwining the trees. Several religious statues stood in the center, near a small pool. They sat down on a cracked bench nearby.

"Yeah it does," he said, looking around, "I think people came out here to pray at one time."

"It can't hurt," she said.

He put his head in his hands.

"I don't want to do it this way."

She stroked his hair.

"I know," she said, "but he's gone and it could be weeks or months until he returns and our best chance of getting at him and ending this is right here on this island."

"I know that," he said, "But I don't want anything to go wrong."

She grew silent and he watched the expression on her face change.

"I trust you," she said, "I trust that you'll do your very best to see that nothing bad happens. That's all anyone can hope for, Houston."

He looked at the statues.

"We'll go back and put together some sort of plan and we won't move forward with it until every precaution has been taken."

"I know that you will do that," she said, "I also know I'm not going back with him."

"It won't come to that…"

She looked away.

"I was thinking about Piser a while ago," she said, "Andre had left on business. The sudden call away probably saved my life. But Piser dropped by to remind me that was only a reprieve until Andre returned."

"He's the one who's dead, not you."

"Because of me," she said, "I'm not a killer, Houston or at least I didn't think so but now I'm not so sure."

"You did what you had to do," Matt said, "to get where you are now. You killed to protect me and to get away. That's does not come from the soul of a murderer."

She bowed her head.

"I just hope it stops," she said, "I want to go back to the way things were before this all happened."

He put his arm around her shoulders.

"Me too," he said, "I came back with so many plans and expectations for how life would proceed," he said, "But the best laid plans…"

"I know," she said, her head resting against his shoulder.

Suddenly movement and a flash of color caught her eye. She saw a slender young woman with dark hair tied back walk in the courtyard. She looked up and recognized her.

"Look at her," she said.

Matt followed the movement of the woman in the garden.

"You know her?"

C.J. nodded.

"That's Elena."

* * *

Chris stared at Scott as he inspected the records that she had given him. She knew he did that to annoy her but she said nothing. She heard footsteps and saw Rhonda standing in the doorway.

"I need to borrow her for a few minutes," Rhonda said.

Scott looked up and nodded.

"You'll have just a few," he said, "There's a lot of papers to go through still."

Rhonda shrugged.

"Actually, the FBI's on its way over here to talk to you again," she said.

Scott smiled but his eyes had widened.

"And how would you know?"

"I was at the U.S. Marshal's office bringing in lunch for a friend…"

Chris looked at her, brows raised.

"And as I was leaving, I overheard a conversation in the hallway."

She left him with that to digest and joined Rhonda in the hallway.

"There's a break room on this floor," Chris said, leading the way.

They entered the room which had coffee and vending machine. Rhonda put her money in and got a soda.

"It's not good news, Chris," Rhonda said, "It's about C.J."

"What about her?"

"They're sending DNA from her shirt for testing," Rhonda said, "They're hoping for a match to Piser."

"But he's… Wait a minute, do they think she's responsible for his death?"

Rhonda sat down.

"I think so," she said, "The thing is, if she were, who gives a damn? I don't, I know what he was like in Bannon County."

"C.J. sure knew," Chris said, "If she did kill him, it was for a good reason and Jonathan and the others should realize that and focus on the real criminals."

Rhonda sipped her drink.

"I think they are but they don't have enough evidence to them," she said, "They're just interested in finding out what happened to Piser, not in prosecuting that person especially if it was C.J. who did it."

"That's terrible," Chris said, "Who cares if that creep is dead. One less creep in the world if you ask me."

"But the feds are definitely coming to interrogate Scott again," Rhonda said, "I just hope they found something that they could nail him on this time."

"They have to, he's so slippery," Chris said, "I sit there in the same room and seriously, it's all I can do to not strangle him."

"He's been like that so far," Rhonda said, "But I think his luck is going to run out."

Roy entered into the room.

"Is there any coffee left," he asked, going over to the machine.

"Hi Roy," Rhonda said, "They keeping you busy?"

Roy served himself some coffee with two sugars.

"I'm just out of a meeting with some investors," Roy said, "It's been so long since I've been involved in a corporation where I wasn't infiltrating it."

Chris laughed.

"Surely you must have picked up enough knowledge during your time with the Agency to acquit yourself nicely here."

He sipped his coffee.

"A little bit here and there," he said, "I notice Scott is pulling his collar more today than usual."

Rhonda shrugged.

"He just found out the FBI is dropping by to talk with him again."

"That's good," Roy said, "There must be some new developments in their investigation. Maybe they found something in Washington."

Chris grew thoughtful.

"It's damn awful what happened up there," she said, "To think anyone is capable of doing such evil let alone the guy who works with you."

Roy shook his head.

"They'll need something solid to nail him," he said, "and it will probably mean convening a grand jury to do it."

"When would that be," Chris said.

Roy tilted his head.

"Could be months."

Both women shook their heads.

"Then again, sometimes cases like this come together very quickly once they hit a certain point in the evidence chain," Roy said, "We could get lucky."

Neither women looked at that point as if they believed him.

* * *

Matt and C.J. followed Elena with her eyes as she walked to a sturdy tree which centered the courtyard and sat down to read, pulling a book from her satchel.

"I'll approach her," C.J. said, "You walk just behind me ."

Matt nodded and watched as she headed towards Elena.

As she approached, Elena looked up from her book, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"May I help you with something, Sister?"

"Hello Elena."

The smile on the girl's face froze.

"How do you know…."

C.J. pulled off her headpiece and smiled.

"It's me," she said.

Elena started to get up.

"Wait, I'm not here to cause any harm," C.J. said, holding up her hand, "It's really good to see you. I've thought about you a lot in the past months."

Elena remained seated.

"How did you find this place?"

C.J. sighed and sat down next to her.

"It's a long story," she said, gesturing to Matt to come over.

"This is my friend," she said, "The one I used to talk about back in the compound."

Elena looked at him. He noticed something familiar about her.

"That necklace…"

C.J. looked at him.

"It's the one that you gave me. "

Elena's eyes widened.

"You're him, aren't you?"

He looked at C.J. and she nodded.

"I didn't steal the necklace," Elena said, touching it, "She gave it to me."

"I know," Matt said, "She told me that it was in good hands."

Elena smiled tentatively.

"This woman at a party in Houston thought I stole it," she said, "but she was nice and just worried about you."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other.

"Who was she?"

Elena tried to remember.

"She was blond and very pretty," she said, "She worked at a foundation. The senor had a meeting with her about working together before leaving the country."

"You mean Andre," C.J. said.

Elena nodded.

"Sounds like he had a meeting with Chris," Matt said.

"Yes, that was her name," Elena said.

Her face darkened and she hid her eyes.

"I'm sorry about what he did to you," she said, "And that I didn't do anything."

C.J.'s face softened and she hugged her. She felt Elena's tears against her face.

"Elena, you couldn't do anything," she said, "and I got away."

"The senor…he's not on the island. He left a couple days ago on a business trip."

"We know," C.J. said, "When do you think he's returning?"

"I don't know," she said, "I'm working on putting together a gala but he won't say where or exactly when."

"Probably for security reasons," Matt said, "He might be working through the consulate."

"He's given me so much to do," Elena said, "It's hard to delegate duties if the details are kept from me."

"That's going to make it difficult," he said.

She looked up at him.

"I want to help you," she said, "He's not who I thought he was and I want to go home to my village."

C.J. brightened.

"Will you stay here with Houston until I return," she said, standing up, "I have a surprise for you."

Elena nodded as Houston looked at C.J., concerned.

"I'll be fine," she said, "and I'll be right back."

* * *

Jonathan sat in his office working with Brad who had delivered the database he had assembled involving t he missing women to be matched with the DNA test results and the few dental records that flowed in the division from their relatives, hopeful finally of learning the truth about their missing loved ones.

"That's a long list," Jonathan sighed.

"It's going to be longer by the time we're done compiling data," Brad said.

"I hope we have at least some hits from it."

"We might get lucky," he said.

A woman stuck her head in the doorway.

"Excuse me, Chad's on line two."

Jonathan picked up the phone.

"What's up?"

"The DNA came back expedited from the clothes," Chad said, "At least the preliminary findings."

"That's quick even considering its expedition," Jonathan said, "So is there a match?"

"Yes, one sample belongs to Piser like we suspected."

Jonathan gave a start.

"One sample," he said, "you mean they found another?"

"Yes, and there's no match in any database," Chad said, "It's an unknown."

Jonathan hung up, a bit shocked over that news and not sure what to make of it.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47---Another installment is completed. I hope you like it and thanks for reading my story!

* * *

Matt sat with Elena in the courtyard waiting for C.J. to return with her "surprise". She remained quiet for a while as if deep in thought and he gave her some space.

"Beautiful place, isn't this?"

She looked up at him, her eyes forlorn.

"He seemed like a nice man," Elena said, "He never said an unkind thing to me."

Matt looked towards the fountain where birds congregated to bath and drink the fresh water that flowed from a spigot. The courtyard seemed a lot cooler than the area outside of it and he felt himself relax. He knew Elena struggled with her feelings about Andre as a result of her own experiences colliding with what she had heard from others like C.J.

"Some people show different sides of themselves to different people and keep the rest hidden."

Elena frowned.

"But she said he killed Fernando and he was my friend," Elena said, "We grew up in the same country. We used to talk and it helped make me feel closer to my home."

Matt watched her fight to control her emotions.

"Fernando was the guard that Andre shot in front of C.J."

She nodded.

"She was trying to protect you, you know," Matt said.

"I do know that," Elena said, "and even when she escaped, she tried to protect me."

"She gave you that necklace," he said.

She reached around her neck for it.

"Do you want it back?"

He shook his head.

"If C.J. gave it to you, she had a good reason."

"She was really nice to me," Elena said, "She didn't have to be."

"What did you do there," Matt asked.

"I served her food several times a day but for a while, she didn't eat. She was very lonely. "

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"She told me what happened while she was there," he said.

Elena looked away.

"I didn't believe her when she first told me," she said, "But when Fernando was murdered and then that man, Semour Piser…"

"What about him?"

She shook her head. He didn't press the issue.

"He's dead now, Elena," Matt said, "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

* * *

C.J. walked back to the bar and ran into Novelli who talked to a heavily tattooed man near the entrance. She sat on the bench with her head bent and waited until he was finished. He saw her and walked over.

"What's going on," he said.

"I need to find Antonio," she said, "I think he's in the bar."

"I'll go check and see," Novelli said and walked into the building. A moment later, Antonio walked out with Novelli and looked at C.J.

"Novelli told me you needed to speak with me," Antonio said, "What is this about?"

C.J. pressed her lips together, while trying to find the words he had waited his whole life to hear.

"I found her," she said.

His eyes widened, and she saw signs of joy slip on his face, though he fought to keep his emotions under wraps.

"Are you sure," he asked.

She nodded.

"I'll take you to her now."

They walked to the courtyard.

"She's waiting inside there with Houston," C.J. said, as they walked underneath the arch. He looked around and saw her right away. Now that he saw her, he seemed uncertain of how to proceed.

"Go meet your sister," C.J. said, softly.

* * *

Jonathan sat in his office with Chad, who had dropped by not long after he had called him to announce the preliminary results of the DNA test.

"So it's probable that Ms Parsons did kill Semour Piser," Chad said, reading the sheet that had been faxed to his office.

Jonathan leaned back in his chair. Chad passed him the document and he read through it.

"What difference does it make," he said, "If she killed him, it was in self defense or to get away."

"Not much," Chad admitted, "but this case is getting so tangled and twisted that this will make it harder to pin anyone down for it even through a grand jury proceeding."

"Why the hell is that," Jonathan said, "because we're playing nice with Andre Duval who's a killer, a rapist and a human trafficker just because of his diplomatic connections?"

Chad shot him an irritated look.

"You know how important it is to go by the book on cases like this one," he said, "Do you want to blow it so no charges can ever be filed?

"That's the way it's looking now."

"That could change," Chad countered.

Jonathan pounded the desk with his fist.

"How," he said, "and when will this happen? How many grave yards are we going to have to find like we just did in Washington state until we nail someone for this?"

He shoved the test results back to Chad.

"Why don't you get the feds to explain how Piser got a 'get out of jail free' card in the first place?"

"They're looking into that," Chad said.

"Because if that hadn't happened, he wouldn't be dead," Jonathan said, "If that's really the important thing here."

"Listen Jonathan, that's uncalled for," Chad said, his temper fraying, "You know that we are aware that Piser was the bad guy in this equation.

"Are you really," he answered back, "sometimes, I'm not so sure of that."

* * *

Antonio approached his sister, marveling at how much she had grown in the years that had passed since her picture had been taken. The snapshot he carried with him everywhere had shown a little girl. Ahead of him sat a woman.

C.J. walked with him as they approached Elena and Matt who were e deep in conversation.

"Elena," C.J. said, "Here's your surprise."

Elena looked up and saw Antonio standing in front of her. Her brow wrinkled but then the hint of a smile showed on her face.

"Is it…"

C.J. nodded.

"It's your brother, Antonio."

She slowly broke into a grin and jumped up on her feet. Antonio smiled at his sister's joy. She walked towards him.

"It's really you, isn't it?"

"Yes, my Elena," he said, "When I last saw you, you were so little."

"You were dressed up like Matt here," she said, "like a soldier."

He nodded.

"I was going off to the army," he said, "When I returned, you were gone."

She frowned suddenly.

"I was taken away from my village and sent to live with the senor."

"I looked all over for you," Antonio said, "I traveled all over the world. I work with Andre Duval now."

She looked confused.

"Why if you worked for him couldn't you find me?"

"It took a long time to work my way through his organization," Antonio said, "To get people to trust me enough so I could ask about you."

She nodded.

"I work as his assistant now," she said, "I started out in…domestic work.

"You look very beautiful," he said, "So grown up."

She smiled, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I've missed you so much," Antonio said, his voice softening.

She bridged the distance that remained between them and embraced her brother. He hugged her back, tightly, the years and miles that had separated them fading away.

* * *

C.J. and Matt watched the reunion and walked away to give the siblings some privacy. He took her hand and they walked through the courtyard.

"Don't you think it's a little strange for a nun to be holding hands with a soldier," she said.

He smiled.

"I don't think anyone's around to watch."

She looked back at Antonio and Elena who had sat under the tree to talk with each other.

"It's wonderful to see them back together," she said.

"That was good thinking on your part," Matt said.

She shrugged.

"I never had siblings so I don't know what it's like to lose and then find one," she said, "But I do know what it was like with someone you care about a lot."

He looked at her thoughtfully.

"So do I."

"When you got kidnapped for over a month and then returned, it was like that."

He squeezed her hand.

"I wouldn't have made it through those weeks without you."

"And then this," C.J. said, "During the times when I thought I would give up, I thought of you."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She smiled up at him.

"I never thought I would see you again," C.J. said, "I wished for it, but I never thought I'd make it out of there. Elena really helped me keep rooted in reality during some really difficult days."

"I'm glad she did."

"So bringing her back her brother and Antonio back his sister was the least I could do."

"He's going to have to leave her again soon," Matt said.

She nodded.

"I know," she said, "But at least he knows where she is. That will make it easier for their reunion to eventually be permanent."

"We're going to have to leave here soon," he said.

"Does Novelli have the plans yet?"

Matt scratched his face.

"He was working on that earlier," he said, "He had some contacts here."

"I saw him at the bar when I went to get Antonio."

"Hopefully, what he finds will help us," Matt said.

Antonio and Elena walked up to them.

"We'd better get going back to the others," Antonio said.

C.J. could tell from the guarded look in his eye that he hated leaving Elena behind. She reached out to touch his arm.

"We'll be back," she said, "Then you can spend more time with her."

"I know, I have to leave for Florida," he said, "I'll be back in several days."

Matt looked up.

"What's going on in Florida?"

"I have a meeting with someone," he said, "If I'm lucky, it might help us bring down Andre."

Elena's eyes grew teary.

"I know this has to be done," she said, "But it's still difficult."

"I know, hermana," Antonio said, "But the world will be a better place with him gone. Surely you must know that."

She nodded.

"I do know that," Elena said, "I just can't look him in the face now."

Antonio embraced his sister again, then put his hands on her shoulders.

"You need to act like nothing's changed," he said.

Her voice remained firm.

"I will do that."

Antonio gestured to Matt and C.J.

"We'd better go now."

Matt nodded and they left the courtyard after saying goodbye to Elena and headed off in separate directions agreeing to meet back at the boat.

* * *

Chris and Rhonda watched the FBI agents in their dark suits and glasses walk past the doorway of Chris' office.

"Do they all buy their suits from the same outlet," Rhonda said, sipping her soda.

"They certainly are hard to tell apart," Chris agreed.

"My money's on that they're here to do another round with Scott."

"I'm not taking that bet," Chris said.

"They need to get his ass," Rhonda said.

Chris sighed.

"Something they haven't done so far."

"They're working harder at solving Piser's murder," Rhonda grumbled.

"How's Kyra doing," Chris asked.

Rhonda smiled.

"She's probably downloading his files on the flash drive as we speak," she said, "The girl is good."

* * *

Scott pulled on his tie as Simon entered the room with another FBI agent who introduced himself as Clarke Milton. Scott's smile dimmed somewhat when they sat down and Clarke pulled out a folder, tossing him pictures of the crime scene up in Washington.

He gave them a cursory glance.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Simon folded his hands together, interlacing his fingers then placed them on the desk.

"The computer forensics specialists are going over the locked boxes they recovered from Washington state," Simon said, "And even though they just got started, your name's already come up."

Scott blanched, but tried to hide it.

"There must be some kind of mistake," he said.

"What would that be, Mr. Prescow?"

"It just has to be some kind of mistake on your end," Scott said, "I never had anything to do with this Duval character."

"We didn't find any connection from what we found in Washington to Duval yet," Simon said, "Is this your way of telling us we should be looking harder for one?"

Scott laughed nervously.

"You're putting words in my mouth…again."

"We're asking questions," Clarke said, "We want answers."

"Then you're in the wrong place," Scott said, "You need to ask the real criminals who were responsible for the horrible deaths up there."

"The 'real' criminals as you call them are responsible for a lot of crimes including running a human trafficking ring."

"How awful."

"Yes it is," Simon said, "They are also responsible for what happened to Ms Parsons including her kidnapping and during the month she was held captive up there."

"I definitely know nothing about that," Scott said.

Simon raised his brows.

"You seem to be more certain you don't have knowledge of that than you do about anything else," Simon said.

Scott grew flustered.

"That's not true," he said, "Why can't you just ask simple questions and stop trying to make me say things I don't mean."

Simon folded his arms.

"What do you mean Mr. Prescow?"

Scott grew silent.

"I have a right to an attorney," he said.

"This is the first time you've asked for one," Simon noted," Was it something I said?"

Scott glared at him. Simon tossed him some more photos.

"These were taken of Ms Parsons after we picked her up," he said, "As you can see, she wasn't in very good shape."

Scott picked them up and looked at them, mutely. He recognized the bruised and lacerated face that looked back at him but not her eyes.

"I understand that you and she were friends at one time," Clarke said, "You must have had one hell of a falling out."

"We'll leave you with those copies," Simon said, "And see if they jog your memory at all."

"What makes you think there's anything to be remembered," Scott said.

"The fact that you picked them up at all," Clarke said as the two men stood up to leave.

Scott watched them go, then his eyes fell back on the pictures.

* * *

C.J. waited inside the boat for the rest of them. Only inside the cabin, could she relax having made it through the day without being recognized. She shed her nun's habit and changed back into her regular outfit of worn jeans and a long-sleeved tee-shirt. She left the cabin and walked back on deck where she encountered Matt and Novelli.

Matt tossed her some food wrapped in paper that smelled good.

"We picked these up on the way here," he said, "It's been a long day."

She unwrapped it and began eating.

"A pretty good day," she said, "I've never forget Elena and Antonio's reunion."

"That was something," Matt said, "And Novelli here might have gotten us some basic sketches of the floor plans to Andre's compound."

"That's great," C.J. said.

"We'll take a look at them when we get back," Matt said.

"Where are Zeke and Brady?"

Matt looked back at past the dock.

"They're over there on their way to the boat."

Within one hour, they lifted anchor and moved out towards open sea, leaving Sapphire island behind them in their wake.

* * *

Scott sat in his office, staring at the photos that Simon and Clarke had left him. Photos of a young dark-haired woman who was thinner than he remembered with eyes like a wounded animal. He swallowed hard and then he remembered.

Scott picked up his cell phone when he heard it ring. Chris had left the office for the night after he told her he had some accounts to finish up before leaving.

"Hello, Scott Prescow."

"We received your shipment," the voice said, one he recognized as Andre.

"I told you that you could count on me to come through on this."

"She's in satisfactory condition, so you've fulfilled your end of the contract."

Scott smiled.

"Good and the other…"

"Consider your debt to me paid off in full," Andre said, "You won't be hearing from me again."

Scott breathed deeply for the first time in years. His life had been Hell since Andre had come collecting almost a year ago, telling him that if he didn't cooperate, he'd be a dead man or worse. Now, he had to act like everything was normal and then wait a few days to report C.J. missing. With Matt out traveling the world somewhere, no one would be any the wiser.

"Then consider this goodbye," Scott said.

The phone clicked off and Scott put his phone away and picked up his things, leaving the office.

Months later, Scott looked at the photos which were proof postive of exactly what he had done and he cried bitterly.

.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48--The latest chapter of this story is up. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

C.J. walked in on Scott as he prepared to leave his office in L.A. Roy had gone home for the night but she had stayed late to work on her assignment for the FBI. Scott had spent a lot of time on the phone and even more time on his computer.

"What are you working on," she asked.

He looked up at her from his computer.

"Oh…nothing, just some figures Murray asked for," she said.

She sat down in the chair near his desk.

"When do you think Matt will return," he said.

She looked up, startled.

"I don't know," she said, "He's been gone over a week."

"Did he say how long he would be gone?"

She shook her head.

"He's going off to get his head together," she said, "Elizabeth really hurt him when she called the wedding off."

Scott sighed and started to close out the files on his computer. She tried to see what had been on the screen in a discrete manner but he clicked his mouse quickly. She knew she didn't trust Scott but she didn't know why, just that the back of her neck prickled whenever he was in the vicinity. She remembered the warning that Julia had sent her before her death that Scott would be trying to worm his way back in Houston's good graces and into a position at the company. Matt had welcomed his old friend back inside without any reservations especially when Scott offered up his accounting skills. But she kept a close eye on him.

She ran her hand through her hair watching him, wondering about his agenda. She knew he had one but none of her investigating so far had revealed any clues. Still, she knew that she couldn't ignore Julia's warning. She thought not for the first time that she should have told Matt about his past with Andre, the drug dealer from their years spent in Boston. Difficult to do that now that she had no idea where Matt had gone or where he was staying.

"C.J."

She looked up at Scott.

"What is your problem with me?"

She blinked her eyes.

"Problem," she said, "Who said I had a problem?"

He smiled.

"You don't seem to like me."

She sighed.

"I don't trust you very much," she said, "You didn't give Julia and I much reason back in Boston."

"That's ancient history," he said, "Chalk it up to immaturity and bad decision making. Look, I know you're territorial where Matt's concerned."

"Excuse me," she said, "I care deeply for him. He's my best friend and I'm not going to let anyone hurt him, even you."

"I'm his best friend too," Scott said, "I would never do anything to jeopardize that."

She stood up.

"Why are you back?"

"To work with my best friend and help make his company a success."

"I don't believe you," she said. "And Julia didn't trust you up to the time she died."

"Yes, that was sad, wasn't it?"

C.J. gritted her teeth.

"You hurt her badly," she said, "She never got over it."

He looked away.

"Look, like I said, chalk it up to a youthful indiscretion," he said, "And Julia had her own problems."

"She was sick," C.J. said, "She thought she was going to die".

Scott sighed.

"I knew that."

C.J. looked him directly in the face.

"She also got pregnant."

* * *

Jonathan stared at the pile of papers on his desk. On top of the stack, he had once again placed his resignation letter. His fingers smoothed it as he reread it.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," he said then saw Simon enter, "What do you want?"

The FBI agent sat down in a chair.

"I and another agent completed another interview with Scott Prescow today."

Jonathan folded his hands on top of his resignation letter.

"How did it go?"

Simon sighed.

"He's tougher to break than even I thought," he said, "I thought the pictures would have an impact."

"The ones of C.J.?"

Simon nodded.

"He doesn't care about her," Jonathan said, "Look what he did."

"He wavered a bit when we told him that he had uncovered information connecting him to what happened in Washington."

"You mean to Andre Duval…"

Simon looked irritated.

"We don't have anything on Mr. Duval except that he's an internationally respected importer and has ties to his country's consulate."

Jonathan struggled with his temper.

"We both know that's crap," he said, "But Andre's definitely in the importing business. He just has been less than honest about his real choice in merchandise"

"We heard your theories about his ties to human trafficking, but there's no proof."

"C.J.'s statement says that he had her kidnapped, he held her at his compound up in Washington and sexually assaulted her during her captivity."

"There's a lot of things her statement said," Simon said, "And some things that it didn't."

Jonathan sighed.

"You mean, about Semour Piser's death?"

Simon just looked at him.

"You think she was involved," he said, "I did hear about that."

"Does it matter if he is, or even did it?"

Simon pursed his lips.

"It's murder," he said, "But in her case, evidence would probably point to justifiable homicide."

Jonathan laughed bitterly. Simon raised his brows.

"Did I say something funny," he asked.

"This whole investigation has been such a crapshoot," Jonathan said, "From day one. No even before that, when you screwed up during the initial investigation and put her life at risk in the first place."

"No one's happy at the Bureau about that," Simon said, "We know it was a nightmare but we did what we believed to be right at the time and Ms Parson was a willing participant."

"I doubt she would agree with that assessment now," Jonathan said, "if we can even find her."

"If you don't," Simon said, "then the feds will never have a case against anyone, even Mr. Prescow."

Jonathan just stared straight ahead, unable to argue against that.

* * *

C.J. lay asleep in her bed in the bungalow, tossing and turning.

She wandered out into the garden, where the gardenias bloomed and the crickets chirped up a symphony out of sight. Walking to the steps where she often sat, she saw a young woman there instead crying.

"What's the matter," she said.

The woman who appeared about 18 and who wore long raven colored hair around her shoulders continued crying.

"Are you okay," C.J. said touching her on the shoulder.

The woman flinched and finally looked up.

"I have to leave here," she said, "I can't bear another night of having him come to me."

C.J. sat down beside her.

"Who are you talking about," she said, "Do you mean Andre?"

The woman looked at her strangely.

"Who else would I mean," she said, "Ever since his men brought me there…"

"I know," she said "He did the same thing to me too. He comes to me almost every night."

"Does he talk about her," the woman asked.

C.J. looked confused.

"Who's she?"

"His mother," the woman said, "He's so angry with her for leaving him. That's why he hurts us this way. But I'm not there anymore."

"I want to escape," C.J. said, "When he returns next time, I'll be gone."

The woman nodded.

"I tried to leave him," she said, with a sigh.

"What happened," C.J. asked.

The woman looked straight ahead for a while.

"I died."

C.J. looked at the slender form sitting next to her more closely.

"Who are you," she asked.

The woman looked up at her, tears rimming her eyes.

"Sierra..."

The darkness fell over the garden like it often did, and silence surrounded her as she lay on her bed inside her cell. He had returned and stood over her like a nightmare, grabbing her by the arm.

"You fight me," he said, "I'll track him down wherever he is and I'll kill him right in front of you."

She knew he meant what he said.

* * *

She woke up with a start, sweat breaking out on her body, soaking the sheet that enveloped her while she slept. The door to her bedroom opened and Matt stood there dressed in sweat pants. He went to her, where she sat up in her bed with her head covered by her hands.

"Are you okay," he said, as he sat on the bed.

She looked at him and he reached for her, pulling her close to him.

Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"I don't want him to hurt you," she said.

He pulled her up so he looked into her face.

"It's just a bad dream," he said, "I'm right here and he's not going to hurt me."

She focused on him, for the first time.

"He said if I didn't do what he wanted, he would kill you."

He brushed her hair off her face.

"That's not going to happen," he said, "We're going to find him and we're going to bring him down."

"How," she said, "We don't know where he is now."

"We'll find a way," he said, "He's done hurting you."

He held her in his arms until she fell asleep again. For not the first time, the thoughts of killing Andre when he found him entered into his head. He knew that he couldn't do that and remain on the right side of the law unless it was done in self-defense. But Matt's thoughts rarely lingered on the idea of killing the man just to defend himself. He wanted Andre to pay for what he had done to his best friend, in part for condemning her to a nightmare she might never walk away from.

A long time passed before Matt fell back to asleep alongside the woman that he had known for longer in his life than he had not and that he loved more than he ever knew.

* * *

Rhonda looked over Chris' shoulder at her computer, as they downloaded the flash drive that Kyra had given them that contained files from Scott's computer.

"Well let's see what we have here," she said.

"I hope it's the smoking gun to nail that guy's ass to the wall," Rhonda said.

Chris sighed as she clicked the mouse.

"It might not be that easy," she said, "I think there might be some files here that are encrypted."

Rhonda looked at the screen.

"Damn it, you're right," she said.

Chris shrugged.

"It might not be that big of a deal," she said, "Dan knows a good computer expert or two who could circumvent the encryption."

Rhonda folded her arms.

"Does Dan know that you even have Scott's files?"

Chris turned away from the screen to face her friend.

"No, not exactly."

"So this is the way to break it to him that you've been playing Nancy Drew?"

"We've got Scott exactly where we want him if we can get to those files," Chris said.

"The same way we thought we had Andre Duval where we wanted him?"

Chris sighed turning back towards the screen.

"We found C.J.'s necklace on Elena's neck," she said, "That should have meant something."

"It's not their fault," Rhonda said, "You know they need much more evidence than a necklace."

"What is it with you and Jonathan," Chris said, "The way you're always defending him these days."

Rhonda paused.

"…nothing, I just know he's trying his hardest to get evidence against the bad guys and bring C.J. and Matt back home."

* * *

C.J. woke up and found herself snuggling against Matt's chest. Her motion woke him up and he smiled at her, his lids half-closed with sleep.

"How you feeling this morning," he asked.

"Better," she said, "thanks for staying with me."

"Anytime," he said.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"I had this dream about this woman," she said, "She was slender and had dark hair."

Matt rested his head on his hand and looked up at her.

"Did you know her," he asked.

She shook her head.

"I never saw her before in my life," she said, "But she was saying things about Andre and what he was like. His feelings about his mother."

"Marquis, jr. said she was a prostitute," Matt said, "That had a child with his father."

"Andre has a great deal of anger against women," C.J. said, "I think that drives most of what he does. Anger that had to come from somewhere."

"It's more than misplaced anger that drives him," Matt said, "He's a Duval after all even if he's not inked into the official family tree."

She nodded.

"This woman," she said, "I wish I knew she was, where she came from. What happened to her."

"So you think she's real?"

"Yes I do," she said, "Though I don't think she's alive any longer."

* * *

After Antonio's plane had landed in Miami, he rented a vehicle at the airport and began the two hour drive to his destination. As he drove, he thought about his sister and how good it felt to finally have reunited with her after all these years apart. He had spent a portion of that time searching the world and ultimately infiltrating Andre's organization to get closer to her. Now, he needed everything in his arsenal to free her.

Hopefully, the man who he was driving toward to meet would provide him with some answers on how to do that.

* * *

Chris and Rhonda were so busy at the computer they didn't notice him walk into the room. At least not at first.

"Hi ladies," Scott said, "What are you up to?"

Both of them turned around simultaneously. Rhonda blocked Scott's view of Chris while she clicked the file windows closed on the screen.

"Not much," Rhonda said, "I heard the feds kept you busy yesterday."

Scott brushed off his suit.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," he said, "Eventually they'll come to their senses, realize I'm not who they're after and move on to some other target."

Rhonda looked at Chris.

"How many times have they interviewed you now," she said, "Five or six?"

Scott frowned.

"Four times," he said, "And four times they've walked away with nothing."

"But they left you something, didn't they?"

Scott looked up in surprise.

"How do you know?"

Rhonda shrugged.

"I know just by looking at you," she said, "You look different. Not your usual devil-may-care confident self."

He shook his head.

"There's nothing to be concerned about," he said, "This will all brush over."

Rhonda looked at him hard.

"Did you even know what was going to happen to her when you made the phone call which handed her over?"

Chris looked at Rhonda and then smiled.

"Oh she didn't mean it," she said, "You know how emotional Rhonda gets."

Scott nodded.

"I've seen it firsthand," he said, "You know there are counselors out there who have done great work with addressing life traumas."

Rhonda sighed.

"You're right," she said, "I do tend to get too emotional. I'd like to send you crashing to the floor but Matt's already done that, hasn't he?"

Scott glowered.

"That's…"

"Water under the bridge," Rhonda finished, "Yeah you told us that already."

"He's not fired me, after all."

Rhonda laughed.

"He's been a bit busy lately," she said, "but I'm sure he'll get around to it if he doesn't kill you first."

Chris looked at Scott and smiled.

"I think you'll have to forgive Rhonda here," she said, "You know, emotions and all. I'm sure Matt will forgive and forget and if not, he might be in a forgiving mood and just turn you over to the authorities."

"He'll have no grounds," Scott said.

"Don't be too sure about that."

* * *

"Julia was pregnant," C.J. said.

Matt looked at her, his brows raised. The two of them had eaten breakfast and camped on the couch, listening to the rain hitting the roof.

"When was this?"

C.J. paused, pulling her sweater closer around her.

"Not long after we almost died in that fire," she said, "Scott hadn't returned and when he did, he avoided us."

"I wish I'd been there to take care of him," Matt said.

She smiled and stroked his face.

"I know you would have done that," she said, "But as it turned out, Scott didn't come back for second year and transferred to Yale."

"Yeah I remember hearing about that," he said, "Scott said he needed a change in scenery. Harvard wasn't enough of a challenge for him."

C.J. grew serious.

"The baby was the challenge he didn't want to face," she said, "After she told him, that was when he decided to leave. Not just Harvard but her to handle it alone."

"So what happened," Matt asked.

"Julia knew she couldn't handle a baby," C.J. said, "So she thought seriously about getting an abortion. But she was torn, because she felt that was the easy out of a bad situation. I promised to support whatever she chose to do."

Matt took her hand and rubbed it between his own.

"She was lucky to have you there as her friend."

"I tried my best, but I know she was very scared and overwhelmed by everything," she said, quietly, "I don't know what I'd do in her situation. I'd probably feel the same way."

"You'd have me…"

"I know that," she said, "But as it turned out, the point was moot. Soon after, Julia was diagnosed with cancer and she lost the baby."

"That must have been rough in its own way," Matt said.

C.J. nodded.

"I think of all the things that Scott did that were bad, his decision to bail on her was among the worst."

"Did Scott know that you knew about Julia's pregnancy?"

She shook her head.

"Not before he left her high and dry," she said, then hesitated, "But I told him I knew about it after you left. He seemed surprised."

"Was he angry?"

She thought about it.

"Not really," she said, "But I'm sure it didn't work in my favor when he decided to betray me."

"That was his own decision," Matt said, "It had nothing to do with anything you did."

She put her face in her hands.

"I just never saw it coming," she said, "And maybe I should have."

"How?"

She struggled with her words.

"I don't know…I just should have…"

"The feds that used you should have taken greater precautions to protect you," Matt said, "You trusted them and they violated that trust. It was never anything that you did or didn't do."

* * *

Jonathan paced the room and Chad watched him.

"We didn't know," Chad said, "This is the first I heard about it."

Jonathan turned around to face him.

"The grand jury is getting the forensic evidence from C.J.'s clothes?"

"It convened originally to look into the murder of Semour Piser," Chad said.

"What about what happened with her?"

Chad raised his hand.

"They'll get to that," he said, "But there's not enough evidence to back up her allegations in her declaration."

"Just because she had his blood on her clothes…"

"We know that it doesn't make her the killer," he said, "But it points strongly towards it."

"But she's the victim here, not Piser even if she did kill him."

"The grand jury proceeding is just a formality," Chad said, "Nothing will come about from it."

Brad's head popped in the door.

"What is it," Jonathan asked.

"We just got a call from the lab that's handling some of the safes," he said, "They just found something of great interest. It might implicate Andre Duval."

Jonathan and Chad both looked at Brad, startled.

"We'll be right there," Jonathan said.

* * *

After parking his car at the federal correctional institution's lot, Antonio headed into the facility. After undergoing an extensive security check, a guard led him to the visiting room.

He sat down in front of a glass window.

"We'll be bringing him in," the guard said, "He doesn't receive many visitors these days."

Antonio nodded and mentally prepared for the meeting. Suddenly he heard the door open and the guard lead in a sickly looking man. Antonio's eyes widened in shock as he saw how unhealthy the man on the other side of the glass had become in just a few years. The man's olive skin had paled even beyond what usually happened to inmates when they lost contact with the outside and his grey hairs peppered his dark hair.

The man sat down with some difficulty in front of him and Antonio knew that the news about him dying had been true. Both men picked up the phones on their sides of the glass.

"Why is it that you've come and seen me after all this time," the man asked.

Antonio thought about what he wanted to say to the man in front of him, Marquis Duval, Sr.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49--Here's the latest installment in this super long fanfiction! I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Antonio looked at Duval, Sr. for a long moment. The older man stared back without blinking his eyes once.

"Why have you come here to see me," Duval repeated.

This time Antonio had his answer.

"I came about your son," he said.

Duval nodded.

"The one you work for," he said, "Not the one in prison."

"How did you know?"

Duval chuckled, dryly.

"I know everything that involves family," he said "and when you spend your days and nights inside a cramped cell, you realize what matters most."

"But you don't claim Andre as your son."

"I've given him everything I have," Duval said, "And he's grown into his role as a proper Duval."

Antonio glared at him.

"He's a human trafficker," he said, "That's carrying out your family name?"

Duval scratched his face.

"His success in his business has outstripped my own," he said, "My other son frowns on what he does but he's young and idealistic. He has not an ounce of business sense."

"Your son has very strong feelings against his own half-brother," Antonio said.

Duval shrugged.

"He views him as an aberration to the family line," he said, "But he's just a different branch of the same tree which has taken root and will grow strong long after I'm gone."

"And what about what he's done to innocent people," Antonio said.

"There's no such thing in our world," Duval said, "You know that."

"What about all those women that he's victimized, including those lying in unmarked graves?"

Duval waved his arm dismissively.

"They made bad choices," he said, "And with bad choices, come consequences."

"Including the ones that your son had kidnapped," he said, "Like my sister and C.J. Parsons?"

"Now there's a name from the past, a delightful creature" Duval said, smiling "What's she been up to lately?"

"What do you know about her kidnapping?"

"Is that what it's called these days," Duval said, "My son was quite taken with her since he crossed paths with her years ago in Boston. Pity, we had to make the difficult decision to sacrifice her and her friends to save Andre but family comes first. It was of course such a relief to hear that they made it out safely."

"But then you tried to kill her and Matt later on," Antonio said.

Duval shrugged.

"That was purely business," he said, "Nothing personal. But with my son, it's different."

"So you knew what he was planning all that time?"

"Matt ruined my business and separated me from my sons," Duval said, "He had to pay for that and the best way to make him pay is through his loved ones."

"So that's what he did?"

"Matt and I share Achilles heels," Duval said, "The difference between us is that he wears his heart on his sleeve. That will be his undoing every time."

Antonio raised his brows.

"Did you tell Andre that?"

Duval paused.

"Anything to help a son avenge his father," Duval said, "He's my flesh and blood and I'm proud of what he's accomplished. I will go to my grave a happy man."

"You're going to lose him before that," Antonio said, "He's gone too far and by the end of this, he's likely to end up dead or locked up in another federal prison."

Duval laughed and then coughed uncontrollably. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his face.

"They'll never get him," he said, "Antonio is much more cunning than even myself. He will get his missing property back and he's get back to his business."

"You mean C.J.," Antonio interjected, "Why can't he just let that situation and move on? Why is he using all his resources to find her?"

"Because she doesn't belong to him anymore," Duval said.

Antonio looked confused.

"What are you saying," he said.

"Andre sold her to someone else before she escaped."

* * *

C.J. looked out the window at the grey skies which had dropped sheets of rain all morning. Rarely, the balmy days were interrupted with squally weather like on this day. She walked back to where Matt sat on the couch.

"It's really pouring outside," she said, "I imagine everyone's staying on shore today."

"At least it's a warm rain," Matt said, "It should be great outside when it lets up."

"I've been thinking about my dream," she said, sitting beside him, "It was so strange dreaming about this woman like she was standing in front of me."

"Do you have any idea who she might have been?"

C.J. shook her head.

"She seems familiar somehow, but nothing comes to mind."

"Maybe another woman who was being kept at the compound?"

"Maybe," she said, "I didn't really see any of the other women. I heard about them but didn't really see them. I was kept pretty isolated."

"Did Andre talk about any of the other women?"

C.J. thought back.

"Not much," she said, "I don't think they wanted me to really know what they were doing."

"What about Piser?"

She started to shake her head then stopped.

"Maybe in passing," she said, "He used to tell me that Andre's plans were to sell me at some point to someone else especially after I tried to escape."

"Did Piser handle that part of Andre's business?"

C.J. struggled to concentrate.

"I'm sorry," she said, "It's hard to remember things. It's just all fragments when it comes to what people said and there are some things I don't remember all, it's just blank. Sometimes I wish everything was that opaque."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he said, "I wonder if Elena knows anything about his business."

C.J. shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said, "Elena's a good person and if she had known, I think she would have had serious doubts about Andre much sooner than she did."

Matt sighed and sat up.

"I think I'm going to go into town."

"What for," C.J. asked.

"I think I'm going to try to make contact with Jonathan again."

"Why," C.J. said.

"I need to see if I can get some information from him for a change."

He walked into the kitchen. She followed him.

"He's not going to divulge anything from the investigation," C.J. said.

Matt put on his jacket.

"We'll see about that."

C.J. reached for her jacket.

"I'm going with you."

He nodded and they both left the bungalow.

* * *

Jonathan sat in the darkened room with Chad and watched the grainy video projected on the screen. It showed a meeting of men in suits that took place in an undisclosed location.

"It sounds like they're making a business transaction," Jonathan said.

Chad pointed to a tall muscular gentleman with salt and pepper sprinkled into his darkened hair.

"I think I recognize that guy from some of the photos we saw from a case last year," he said, "It was another trafficking case that ICE sent us to look at for witness protection evaluation."

"Oh yeah, the young woman who lived less than 24 hours in one of our so-called safe houses," Jonathan said.

"We never caught the assassin," Chad said, "And ballistics didn't come back with much on the bullets that was useful."

"That's because they were pros," Jonathan said, "Just like those hired by Andre including those who infiltrated our division."

Chad sighed.

"Thanks for the reminder," he said, "This guy runs an operation out of Russia and the Ukraine though he's out of Italy originally."

"Anyone got a name for him," Jonathan said.

"Negative on that," Chad said, "But his organization brings in over $100 million annually. He dabbles in drug smuggling and arms dealing as well but his biggest merchandise are women and children soldiers in some of the African countries."

"So how does he stack up against an Andre Duval," Jonathan said, pointing at the screen, "Because I believe that's him sitting right across from him."

Chad examined the film.

"Yeah…it sure looks like him," he said, "I wonder when this video was taken."

"Not too long ago it looks," Jonathan said, "I wish the audio were better. We might have to send it back to forensics to work on it."

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Chad said, "We've got all the state of the art equipment."

Jonathan took a deep breath and exhaled while collecting his thoughts.

"So if that's Duval conducting a legitimate business meeting, then why's one of the world's most notorious traffickers at the same table?"

Chad paused.

"It's possible that Gentleman X also presents himself as a reputable businessman."

"Does Agent Denton know about this?"

Chad nodded.

"He's on his way down here," he said, "but we all have much more evidence to look through before we can even think about planning what our next course of action will be."

Jonathan listened to him while looking at the screen at the two men.

"We'd better get to it."

* * *

Chris and Fran looked at Rhonda who sat down next to them at the coffee shop.

"So what did you find out," she said.

"If Dan's guys can't break through the encryption on Scott's files, I think my roadie friend can do it."

Chris nodded.

"The guy who gave us the wiring devices?"

"Yeah, he's willing to help us out," she said, "It might take some time."

Chris sighed.

"All this has taken a lot of time. It's been months now and we don't know if Matt and C.J. are any closer to being able to come back."

"I know it's been difficult," Rhonda said, "But if we can link Scott to Duval, we can use that information to get a location for Duval."

Chris shook her head.

"We have to be very careful," she said, "It might get to be very dangerous very quickly."

"I think that maybe if we can get something solid, we can take it back to Jonathan," Rhonda said.

Both Fran and Chris looked at her suddenly.

"Jonathan," both said at the same time.

Rhonda nodded.

"Yeah, I think that he's getting really upset at the slow pace of this whole thing."

Fran sipped her coffee.

"Maybe he's ready to trying something a bit different," she said, "It would be about damn time."

"Maybe," Rhonda said, thoughtfully.

* * *

Antonio just stared at the older man.

"Who did Andre sell her to," he asked.

Duval clasped his hands together.

"I don't know," he said, "Some big shot from Eastern Europe, maybe Russia."

"Why did he do this?"

"He owed this guy some favors and even more money."

"I don't believe you," Antonio said.

"No it's true," Duval said, "My son's an excellent business man but he needed overhead beyond what I could provide for him since my financial assets were frozen."

"But you gave him land and you gave him equipment including weapons."

"Ah yes," he said, "But as for money, that was limited by the governments of several countries who had partnerships with the United States."

"So he needed to secure some loans," Antonio said, "And his merchandise were his collateral."

"He's got enough in profits to pay off his debts," Duval said, "But his financers aren't interested in money. They want a piece of his business."

Antonio folded his arms.

"Antonio's not going to take that lying down."

"My son will still be a great success on his own even if he has to pay these individuals off with some of what he's got."

"So these men might have put the bounty out on Ms Parsons when she escaped," Antonio said.

"Not directly," Duval said, "But they made it clear to Andre that this was what he was to do. I think it'll just be a minor setback in the long run."

"What about the other women," he said.

Duval sighed.

"They were also interested in a young girl who works for him," he said, "But my son put his foot down there and they backed off."

That caught Antonio's attention.

"Who's this young woman," he said.

"His associate," Duval said, "I believe her name is Elena."

Antonio struggled to keep the shock off of his face, something he wasn't accustomed to doing.

"Why was that," he said.

Duval studied the younger man.

"For personal reasons," he said, "She's someone of great importance to him. That's why she's there."

"How could that be," Antonio said, shaking his head.

Duval just smiled at his confusion.

"You need to find the answer to that on your own," he said, "You are her brother after all. That should provide you some clue."

* * *

Serena looked up at Matt and C.J. from the computer.

"Are you sure you want to do this," she said.

Both looked at each other and nodded.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do," she said, "It might take a few minutes to get a secured line."

"We'll wait," Matt said as he and C.J. sat on the couch nearby.

"I can't believe you two came out in this weather just to make a phone call to a man who's looking all over for you."

She shook her head at both of them and got to work.

C.J. sat back and listened to the rain which took her to another place.

She sat in her cell listening to the rain outside the small window, which didn't offer much of a view. The sound gave her some connection to the outside world, however tenuous. She had awoken up an hour ago, her mind foggy and her mouth dry. Even drinking a pitcher of water didn't ease the sandpapery feel of her throat. Her wrists were very tender and her body ached. She wondered if she were coming down with something but her forehead remained cool. Elena had stopped by to drop her off a plate of food.

"The senor wishes to give you extra food," she said, "He sees that you're getting so thin."

C.J. recoiled.

"I feel funny," she said.

"Are you hungry," Elena said, "It's been a while since you ate."

C.J. shook her head.

"No, I feel funny," she said, "And what's that cologne you're wearing?"

Elena looked at her confused.

"I'm not wearing any cologne," she said, "And I don't smell anything unusual."

C.J. rubbed her forehead.

"I must be imagining it."

Elena smiled.

"Here, there's some good food here to eat," she said, "You need to eat more."

C.J. sighed.

"I'll try," she said, walking over to sit at the table. Her legs felt rubbery with each step.

Elena prepared to leave. Then C.J. heard footsteps and looked up to see Piser leaning against the doorway smiling at her in a way that chilled her.

"So how are you doing," he asked her.

She didn't look up at him.

"Get out of here," she said.

Elena looked at C.J., uncertainty in her eyes.

"Are you okay, Ms?"

C.J. nodded.

"I'm fine, you can go now."

Piser watched Elena leave with the tray then entered the room. C.J. still didn't look up at him.

"So how are you doing this morning," Piser asked, "I mean I would imagine if you're feeling tired or unwell."

"I would never tell you how I'm feeling," she said, "So there's no point in you asking."

"Andre's entertaining some business partners," Piser said, "One of whom appears to be very taken with you. You must have done something to impress him."

She looked up at him.

"What do you mean," she said.

"Well, if and Andre negotiate a price, you'll belong to him by the end of the month."

She put her hand over her mouth, trying to keep the bile out of her throat. She would never let Piser see her lose control.

"You don't remember him, do you?"

She narrowed her eyes at Piser.

"Remember who," she said.

He shook his head and prepared to leave.

"It's a shame really," he said, "I'll almost miss you when you leave. But then everyone will because no one who ever knew you will ever see you again."

He left and she walked back to the bed, reaching underneath it for her towel wrapped with items that were going to help her escape this place. She lay back and held it on her chest trying to formulate her plan, knowing that time was running out before her window of opportunity might close forever.

* * *

She got up from the couch and walked up to the window to look out into the rain. Matt watched her go and leaned back on the couch, waiting for Serena to tell him she had secured a line for them and would patch them through to Jonathan. C.J. stayed by the window for a while and then putting her hands in her jacket pocket told Matt she needed to get some air.

He nodded and watched her leave.

"Matt," Serena said, "I should have one up for you in a minute."

He walked over to join her.

"Then I can dial in to your friend at the U.S. Marshals without him tracking back."

"You're a miracle worker," he said.

"So are you," Serena said, "She's a very nice woman and I can tell she thinks the world about you."

He smiled.

"It's mutual," he said, "I just hope she's going to be okay."

"She will be," Serena said, "Not today, not tomorrow but she will get there especially with you in her corner."

"It's no less than she's ever done for me," he said, "More than once she's been the only one standing by me."

"I remember what you told me after you recovered from your runin with one of our sting rays."

Matt remembered.

"I was delirious," he said.

"Not all the time," she said, "You said you were going back to where you came from and tell her the truth."

Matt sighed.

"I went back to L.A. to do that and the whole world had turned upside down," he said, "I've been trying to reset it since."

"But it hasn't changed the way you feel…"

He shook his head.

"No, I definitely feel the same," he said, "She's got so much going on right now and so much has happened. Things I can't change as much as I really want to do so."

"These are times that really test a person's resolve," she said, "But you're a man who knows what he wants and it's all going to work out."

"I don't know if she believes that," he said, "Sometimes she seems to think so but other times…"

"It's the trauma speaking, Matt," Serena said, "She's had her whole view of the world changed and it's going to take her time to sort it out and she won't be able to do that until this Andre's out of the picture forever."

"I know you're right," he said, "I just hope we can do that."

She put her hand on his shoulder.

"We're going to do everything we can," she said, "to make sure that it does and then the two of you are going to have to take it from there."

* * *

C.J. sat on the steps outside, allowing the rain which had softened its touch hit her shoulders. She pulled her hair back, closed her eyes and tilted her head up to allow it to caress her face. She tried hard to push Piser out of her mind, but she knew he came when she felt strong doubts consume her. She thought about Matt and how much he had done to try to help her. He had given up everything after having been away from home so long to go into hiding with her. She knew it had taken its toll on him even if he never said anything. And every time she remembered that, she felt like bolting. Running away from this place and disappearing so no one could find her. Even Matt, because as long as she remained close to him, he was in danger of getting caught in the cross-fire and she couldn't live with herself if anything happened to him. The past months she had spent with him only reminded her of that. She had to make sure he stayed safe and she wasn't sure she could do that if they stayed together.

She stood up and walked out into the rain. She took a few steps before breaking into a run, the rain soon blurring all around her.

* * *

Jonathan sighed after watching some of the videotaped evidence of meetings between Duval and at least two other suspected traffickers. He knew it wasn't enough evidence but at least it might prove to be a beginning of the end of Duval's criminal career if his office played its cards right.

Chad returned to the room.

"So anything else you need enhanced," he said.

Jonathon turned away from the screen.

"I want to concentrate on the meetings with the Italian," he said, "Send all these videos in for audio enhancement."

Chad nodded.

"There's a bunch of other files to look at," he said, "Some of the women we found are probably included somewhere."

"What about any others," Jonathan asked.

"We don't know yet," Chad said.

"What about C.J.?"

Chad shook his head.

"Nothing on her yet," he said, "But she wasn't captive that long so don't expect much."

* * *

"I've got it," Serena said.

Matt looked at her as she clicked her fingers across the keyboard.

"It'll just be a second," she said, then handed him a receiver.

He listened to the ringing on the other end.

Jonathan heard his phone ring and picked it up.

"Hello," he said, "Who's this?"

"It's Houston," Matt said, "And don't bother to track this because this conversation won't be long enough."

Jonathan sat up straight. Chad noticed and gave him a strange look but Jonathan ignored him.

"What's up," he said, "And more importantly, when are you two coming in?"

"Not for a while," Matt said, "We've got work to do here."

"Why am I not going to like the sound of that?"

"Because you believe in creating red tape more than in cutting through it."

Jonathan sighed.

"That's not true," he said, "Believe it or not, we're working very hard on this end. We've just been viewing tapes of Andre Duval meeting with one of the most notorious human traffickers in the world."

That got Matt's attention.

"Who," he asked.

"We don't know yet," Jonathan said, "We're still working on audio."

"What have you found out about this guy," Matt said.

"He's really powerful, really rich and he's got some ties to Duval," Jonathan said, "Maybe Duval procured women for him."

"C.J. mentioned that she never saw the women in the compound," Matt said, "Which leaves me with the impression they didn't stay there that long, at least not the live ones."

"She was there about a month before she escaped, so that gave her some exposure but not much to what's going on."

Matt hesitated.

"C.J. said that Duval talked about selling her several times but she doesn't know if it ever went beyond just making threats."

Jonathan sighed.

"When we plow through these records, we might find out either way," he said, "Let's hope that wasn't the case."

Matt sighed. He knew that was one hope that despite their differences, the two men both shared.

* * *

C.J. walked back to the building, her body worn out from the run and her mind exhausted with trying to figure out what to do next. Part of her still wanted to continue running into the rain, But she had stopped suddenly realizing she was trying to escape. The rest of herself tried to stay firmly rooted to where she stood. Fear permeated her when she remembered her flashback to her conversation with Piser and she didn't know why. Her body shook and she wrapped her arms around herself to still it. She looked up and saw him.

"What are you doing here," she said.

She saw him fading into the shadows near the trees which swayed in the breeze.

"I'm here to get you," he said inside her mind.

"How did you find me," she said, backing away.

"I'm with you always", he said, "You can't run away from me."

She backed up another step and bumped into something unmovable. She flinched and felt hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, it's just me," she heard a familiar voice say.

She relaxed and turned around to see Matt standing there.

"I finished the phone call with Jonathan and you were gone," he said.

She smiled at him.

"I just needed some air," she said.

He looked around them.

"It's still raining," he said, "and you're getting soaked."

"I guess I am," she said, "I'm ready to head back."

"You okay," he said, walking alongside her.

She nodded, but didn't look at him as they walked back down the dirt road in silence.

"What did Jonathan tell you?"

"He said that they were viewing some taped meetings that Andre conducted with a trafficker that was even bigger than he was," Matt said, "They're still in the early stages of reviewing those tapes."

C.J. nodded.

"I know, Piser told me more than once that Andre met with other business partners," she said.

"Did he say what about?"

C.J. fidgeted with her hands.

"Not much...," she said, "We'd better hurry. It's starting to really come down again."

Matt didn't push the issue.

* * *

Scott sat in his office, wondering what to do. The latest interrogation of the agents had unnerved him because for the first time, they had evidence tying him to Duval. And he felt that the elaborate story that he had woven for himself had begun to unravel. He had no intention of going down for the entire operation and needed some insurance to protect him.

He reached for his cell phone and punched in some numbers.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50--Another chapter finished! I hope you enjoy this somewhat long story. Thanks for reading and for the feedback.

* * *

Matt and C.J. returned to the bungalow soaked from the rain. He flipped on the light switch and she went into the kitchen to make some tea. She poured some water in the kettle and put it on to boil. Tea usually settled her down before she went to sleep but she wondered if tonight it could shake the uneasiness which had taken hold of her.

She went to change out of her wet clothes and put on some sweats and a long sleeved shirt, which clung to her body. She combed her hair which curled when it rained and brushed it back over her shoulders so it could dry that way. She looked in the mirror and saw how tanned her face had become from her time on the island and then left the room when she heard the kettle calling.

She poured water into her mug and steeped her tea. Matt had changed his clothes also and had gotten himself a beer.

"Are you hungry," he asked.

She shook her head and smiled.

"Maybe later," she said as they walked back in the living room and plopped on the couch together. She leaned against him and he wrapped his arms around her. They stayed that way for a while, comfortable in their silence.

She closed her eyes feeling secure in his embrace.

"Houston…"

"Yeah?"

She shifted on the couch to look at him.

"During that time you lost a whole month of your life, how'd you feel about not knowing everything that happened?"

He paused, knowing that she had been in deep thought during the walk back and wondering what she had occupied her thoughts. She waited quietly for his answer.

"I felt very confused," he said, "I also felt really torn between wanting to fill those gaps in my memory and then not wanting to know what I'd forgotten."

She nodded at his response.

"Did you feel scared that you would remember?"

"Yeah I did," he said, slowly, "Especially after they found Veronica's body."

She stroked his arm, knowing that just by asking, she had reminded him of a painful episode in his life.

"You never would have killed anyone like that," she said.

"It was you reminding me of that and who I was that kept me grounded and from going crazy," he said, "When a huge part of your past suddenly becomes a blank slate, you start having all kinds of doubts about what you would and wouldn't do."

"I don't remember everything that happened to me," she said, softly.

"When you were kidnapped?"

She nodded.

"At first, I was glad that I couldn't remember everything because what I could was so awful, but now, I'm thinking that maybe I need to know."

"That's not surprising that you've lost some of your memories," he said, "Are they coming back?"

"No," she said, "But I remembered some conversations I had with Piser…"

He raised his head, recognizing the tone in her voice.

"Like what?"

She fidgeted with her hands.

"He would make insinuations about events that had taken place, as if he knew I wouldn't remember them."

Matt rubbed his forehead.

"Did he say what they were?"

She struggled to remember.

"No, except once, he mentioned that Andre had brought some business partners in to look at the women including me."

"Did he say anything about these men?"

"Not much," she said, "But I got the implication that Andre had some arrangement with them."

"Jonathan mentioned that Andre met with some individuals including a trafficker from Eastern Europe but the recordings of those meetings are going back to forensics to have their audio cleaned up."

She paused.

"I guess I just understand what you mean about being caught in between wanting to know the truth and wanted it to stay buried."

He smiled, then grew serious.

"I think I'm getting a better understanding of what you went through during my last runin with Elgin Cody."

"Thank God for it being your last one. That man wrecked so much havoc in your life."

He pulled her closer.

"But I got through it because I had people who put out all the stops to help me," he said, "C.J., whatever happens and whatever you do remember, it's going to be okay."

"I hope so."

* * *

Scott waited for someone to pick up the phone and finally a woman answered.

"Hello, this is Elena."

"Who?"

"I am Andre Duval's personal assistant," she said, "And who is this speaking?"

"An…associate of Mr. Duval."

"Mr. Duval has many associates and all of them have names," she said.

"Scott Prescow."

"Excuse me a moment," she said and put him on hold.

He waited for her to return, tapping his fingers on his desk and looking around every time he thought he heard some noise in the hallway.

"Thank you for waiting," she said, "I looked through our directory sir and I couldn't find your name on it."

"How could that be," Scott said, "I've done business with Mr. Duval for years. Well not the entire time. Our relationship has been mostly on and off."

"That might very well be," Elena said, "But I have to screen Mr. Duval's calls very carefully. He's a very busy man."

"If you tell him who I am, I know he'll remember me."

She paused.

"Okay, I could write him a message to send to him if you wish," she said, "He's not in the office at the moment. In fact, he's on a business trip so it might take him a while to get back to you. That is, if he chooses to do so."

Scott sighed.

"All right, I'll leave him a message."

He gave it to her.

"And your contact information, Mr. Prescow?"

"He'll have it," Scott said, clicking off his phone.

He sat in his darkened office hoping he had made the right decision to save his neck.

* * *

Jonathan walked into the conference room where Brad and Sally had been working nonstop with FBI agents on the Washington case.

"How are things going," he asked.

Both of them looked up.

"We're getting there," Sally said, "But we've gone through hundreds of files."

"You've been like pit bulls on this task and it's going to make things much easier down the line."

Brad sighed.

"How's your end coming?"

"I have a meeting with Agent Denton tomorrow," he said, "But the videos went back for audio enhancement so we've stalled there a bit although Andre Duval was seen on a couple of them meeting with that big trafficker out of Russia or the Ukraine."

"Oh my God," Sally said, "Does that mean we finally have him?"

"Not yet," Jonathan cautioned, "But for the first time since this all began, I think we're getting closer."

"So what's next?"

"Well, I've got get some idea from the FBI on how things are going so with Scott Prescow so we'll know if we have enough on him to take to a grand jury some day."

"You've got him associated with Duval don't you?"

"Yeah, about eight or so years ago," Jonathan said, "But we've got to get our hands on something more recent."

"So keep a closer eye on him," Brad said, "If he gets nervous, he's going to break and call his boss to get him out of it."

"We don't have enough for wire taps yet."

"You can't lose this guy," Brad said, "Because he'll break a hell a lot quicker than Duval will."

"We're keeping an eye on him," Jonathan said, "And every once in a while, the FBI will someone in to turn the screws a bit more until we get him."

"And what about the missing witness," Brad said, "We'll need her at some point for the Piser inquest."

Just those words turned Jonathan's stomach. How did the justice system, the same one that employed him become so backwards?

"Matt Houston's no closer to bringing her in or telling us where they are staying," Jonathan said, with a sigh.

"Is that surprising," Brad said, "The man's very stubborn and no one knows where he's located except it's somewhere in the Western Hemisphere."

"She's probably safer with him anyway," Jonathan said, "Let the FBI worry about him. We need to concentrate on the players here."

* * *

C.J. began to drift off to sleep, listening to the rain. She felt comfortable with Matt's arms wrapped around her on the couch.

"Did I ever thank you for sticking around through all this…drama?"

"I think you did a time or two," he said, "It's not all that bad of a job really. The weather's nice, even when it rains, the island's beautiful. I needed to get away from L.A. for a while and this is the perfect spot."

She laughed.

"You were there, how long before you took off again?"

"A day or two," he said, "I can't remember."

"Who's watering the plants at your beach house?"

He thought about it.

"I'm not sure," he said, "Oh, I think before I took off, I called that old guy next door, the retired DJ who beach combs to look in on them."

"If you ever feel that this is all too much for you…"

He took her hand and wrapped his fingers around it.

"Hey, all I wanted after six months away from home was to spend some quality time with my very best friend."

She smiled.

"I guess you got that," she said, "And it's been nice when the world's not been falling apart around us."

"Well, when it's quiet like right now, it's really nice to have my arms around such a beautiful woman."

She laughed softly.

"It is really nice to have you here," she agreed, "I just hope that when we nail Andre for good, it's really going to be over."

"It should be," he said, "then we'll go back home again."

Her doubts nagged at her, despite his reassurance.

"I miss my friends, and Uncle Roy and Will…"

"We'll have a big blowout party when we get back," Matt said, "We'll just need to find the right venue."

She smiled.

"Sounds great to me."

* * *

Chris knocked on the door of Scott's office and when she received no response, she peeked inside. She saw him passed out on his desk, still dressed in the clothes he had worn the day before.

"Hey, you are sleeping on the job?"

He sat up with a start and looked around his office.

"I must have drifted off," he said, "I was working really late last night on a project Murray sent me."

"I'd say so," Chris said, "Murray sent me to pick up some files?"

He searched the mess of papers on his desk and plucked up two of them.

"Thanks," she said, taking them then gave him a closer look, "You look awful."

"Thanks for that critique," he said, dryly, "Anything else?"

"Yeah that Agent…Denton was his name," Chris said, "He called me and wants to interview me this afternoon about some things. Anything you'd like me to ask or say to him?"

Scott just stared at her.

"No, I can't think of anything," he said, "Why are you asking me?"

She shrugged.

"I just thought that it might have something to do with you because they've talked to you about five times before they even thought of giving me a call."

"I've got nothing to say about the FBI at this point," he said, "or any advice to give you on how to handle them."

She nodded.

"Okay, I'll be fine then," she said, "After all, I don't think it's me that they're after….Ciao."

She waved her fingers at Scott and then walked out of his office. He sighed and put his head back on his hands.

* * *

The sun rose over the island and those living on it quickly forgot about the rain storm that crashed over it the day before. C.J. sat on the porch with Bertha and some island java watching the boats go out to sea. Brady and Zeke had invited Vince to go fishing with them and he and Matt had joined their crew. They had set sail about an hour earlier and promised to be back by late afternoon.

"We're going to need to get some beer out of the cellar for those guys when they return," Bertha said.

"Hey, do you mind if I join you," a voice said.

C.J. and Bertha looked up to see Serena walking towards them. She sat down next to C.J. and reached into her bag.

"Here, I got some tapas I made last night after you two left," she said, "The rain always brings out the domestic side of me."

Bertha nodded.

"I baked some cakes yesterday," she said, "I had some rum left over from the last batch."

"I made some tea," C.J. offered, "I'm not sure I have much of a domestic side."

The other two women laughed.

"I wasn't until I got married," Serena said, "I spent my days on the docks packing fish and weighing it."

"I heard about your husband," C.J. said, "I'm really sorry."

Serena smiled.

"We had many good years together," she said, "And the most important rule of the sea is what she gives, she also takes away."

"It must have been difficult," C.J. said.

"You love, there's always a risk of losing," Serena said, "But that's much better than never loving at all as they say."

Bertha nodded.

"The risk is worth it," she said, "Even if I knew how short my time with my husband was going to be, I'd still gone after him."

"Me too," Serena said, "How 'bout you?"

C.J. looked up.

"Me," she said, "Oh, I've never been married. I did lose a man I was starting to love very much. He was killed by an ex-schoolmate of mine."

"That must been awful," Serena said.

"It was," C.J. said, "He was the sweetest man. I felt guilty after he died like it was my fault because the man who killed him, he was obsessed with me since high school."

"What happened to the man who killed your boyfriend," Serena asked, "Did the police catch him?"

C.J. grew silent for a moment.

"Not exactly. I killed him," she said, "He tracked me down to Houston's cabin where I was in hiding and tried to stab me with a fishing knife. So I pushed him off a cliff."

"Oh Jesus," Serena said, "That must have been something to have actually killed someone."

C.J. looked out in the ocean.

"It was, but he wasn't the only man I killed," she said, "I shot a hitman who was going to execute Houston in Colorado and…"

"Houston's a great guy," Serena said, "And he's very lucky to have a woman like you to watch his back."

"I'm very lucky to have him in my life," C.J. said, "He's been the best friend anyone could ever have."

"He was a good friend to me when I needed one."

C.J. hesitated.

"He told me that you two…"

Serena laughed.

"Oh that," she said, "Yeah I was interested in him when he stayed here after getting stung by the stingray but we both knew it never would have worked out. He really wanted at that point to just go home."

"He left to find himself after a woman he loved left him at the altar," C.J. said, "He was trying to find himself again during his travels."

Serena cocked her head.

"Well if that was the case when he left, it certainly didn't seem to be the case when I met him," she said, "No, what I saw was a man who knew exactly what he wanted and where to find it."

* * *

Matt and Vince looked out past the glass-spun ocean towards the horizon that lay ahead of their boat.

"So the fishing's really great out here," Vince asked.

"Pretty good," Matt said, "enough to keep a bunch of mercenaries happy between assignments."

"Gotcha."

"Don't most of you cops go fishing when you hang up your badge and holster?"

Vince nodded.

"But most cops dream of bass and trout, maybe salmon or some truly sexy fish like marlin," he said, "not this type of fishing."

"I've always liked deep sea fishing," Matt said, "I used to go out with my father when he had time."

"I love any kind of fishing," Vince said, "I bought my own boat in the Keys and take it out deep sea fishing during the summer with some groups to make some extra money. I just made sure I had extra large refrigeration lockers for the fish and my beer."

"So you're enjoying retirement," Matt said, "Things aren't getting too quiet for you?"

Vince laughed.

"No, because just when things begin to settle down, I have people like you calling me up wanting to take a trip down memory lane."

Matt placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Thanks for coming out when I called you, Vince," he said, "I really needed your help."

"Yeah you did," Vince said, "You really got yourself in some serious trouble this time."

"I know," he said, "But I'm not leaving C.J. to face this all alone and I'm not going home until she can come with me."

Vince nodded.

"And I'm not going back home until both of you can get out of here and go back where you belong," he said, then looked at his watch, "But let's try to get this done before my wife's water breaks in a few months."

Matt grinned.

"You must be excited."

"Yeah that and wondering whether I'm making enough at my new business to put another two Novellis through college."

"That will be a sight," Matt said, "but you'll do just fine especially with Mama's catering service being such a huge success."

"She's already started their college funds," Novelli said.

Matt laughed.

"That sounds like her. She always did believe in being prepared for anything."

Vince looked out at the ocean.

"I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you and your fiancée," he said, "I read about it in the _Miami Herald_. What a nightmare."

"It was, but it never would have worked out between the two of us," Matt said, "We loved each other but it wasn't enough. She didn't want to marry an investigator who works odd hours and brought danger back to the doorstep. She wanted a man who worked 9-5 and brought home the dry cleaning at the end of the day."

Vince sighed.

"Don't feel bad," he said, "There's not a cop alive who hasn't been through that at one point."

"I guess what bothered me is that maybe she's right," Matt said, "Maybe I'm married to my detective agency."

"That's not true," Vince said, "Okay maybe you could use some time off now and then but you've got a lot to offer a woman, the right woman. Someone who realizes how important your career is to you."

"I get that," Matt said, "It's just a lot harder than it sounds."

"I know that," Vince said, "Did I ever tell you about Crystal?"

"No you haven't," Matt said.

"Crystal was the greatest looking girl in her high school class at The Sacred Chapel of St. Miriam," Vince said, "She was smart, very cultured, one of those women I thought a guy like myself would never have return my phone calls."

"But she did," Matt said.

"It took some persistence on my part but she finally agreed to go out with me," he said, "She was a wonderful date, wore a dress that showed off her great legs, laughed at all my jokes and was very sweet to Mama and god knows that's not always easy…"

"What happened?"

"Everything was fine for a while," Vince said, "We were exclusive for the rest of high school and things were looking great but then before I went into the Air Force, I told Crystal that I wanted to be a cop some day."

"And she couldn't handle that news," Matt guessed.

"She didn't seem to have any problems when I told her but she got really quiet," Vince said, "A week later, she came to my place and gave me back my charm bracelet. Ended it just like that."

Matt raised his eye brows.

"Charm bracelet?"

"Hey, it was high school, okay?"

"So she dumped you," Matt said, "Because she didn't want to see herself someday married to a cop who might die in the line of duty."

"That, and she met some guy during a summer job and he was going to inherit his dad's hardware store," Vince said, "I was devastated, but after a few days, I picked myself right up, went back into the very difficult dating scene and I eventually met a woman who I later married who gave me my wonderful children including the ones on the way."

"So this is your way of saying that there are always other fish in the sea?"

Vince thought about it then nodded.

"Something like that," he said, "My point is that you shouldn't let these setbacks get you down."

"Okay," Matt said, with a smile, "But your advice is about a few months late. I have moved on and I realize that Elizabeth in her own way did me a favor and saved us from a lot of heartbreak down the road. I had my doubts during my own wedding and I'm glad one of us had the courage to break it off."

"That's good," Novelli said, slapping him on the back, "So when are we going to catch us some fish for dinner?"

* * *

C.J. sat with the other women, relaxing in the warmth of the mid-day and read a book she had found inside. She heard footsteps approached and looked up to see Antonio approach her.

"What are you doing back so soon," she asked.

"I need to talk to you," he said, "Alone."

C.J. looked at the other two women who nodded and she got up to join Antonio as they walked towards the beach.

"So what happened," she asked, "Who did you meet with?"

He didn't look in her direction.

"Marquis Duval, Sr."

Her blood froze in an instant.

"Oh."

"He's been in close contact with Andre since he's been in prison."

"But his other son said…"

"Marquis, jr. hates his half-brother, but after talking with their father, I'm beginning to realize that there's jealousy involved as well."

C.J. turned to face him.

"You mean, Marquis favors Andre over his own namesake and his other son knows that?"

"That's what it looks like," Antonio said, "but it makes sense to favor the son who's free. After all, Andre's the only hope to pass on the family name."

"So Marquis favors his son's line of work being done in his name?"

Antonio nodded.

"And there's more than that," he said, "Marquis knew his son had plans to kidnap you and may have even helped him to carry it out."

It took time for C.J. to digest that but she knew she shouldn't have been surprised.

"How," she said, "I don't think I need to ask why."

"Marquis still is a powerful man even in prison," Antonio said, "He could find ways to help his son from the inside."

"I know he could," C.J. said, "He must hate Houston and I for ruining his plans to reunite with his son who Houston had put away with his testimony."

"He does," Antonio said, "And he loves Andre for helping carry out his revenge even though his son had his own plans."

She ran her hand through her hair.

"Yeah, well," she said, "His son's been trying to drag me back since I escaped. What's the point in going through all that trouble?"

Antonio hesitated.

"About that," he said, "Duval told me something else."

"What?"

"He said that part of the reason Andre's so desperate to get you back, alive, is that he sold you to a major trafficker who wants his merchandise that he was promised."

C.J. backed away, stunned.

"Who, which one?"

"He didn't know the name, just that he's Eastern European."

"I need to sit down," she said, sitting on a fallen log.

"I'm going to try to find out who…"

"Owns me," C.J. finished angrily.

Antonio nodded.

"Does it matter," she said, "because even if we do succeed in bringing down Andre, this won't all be over. I don't know if it will ever be over."

"We need to talk to Mr. Houston and the others to rework this plan," Antonio said, "and decide what to do next."

She stood up.

"I can't put him in any more danger," she said, "Andre's men nearly killed him twice. He's not seen his family in months. His business…"

"Matters a lot less than you do," Antonio said, "You need his help. My sister needs both of you to help her."

She calmed down and nodded.

"Okay, I…we will get your sister back, we'll do whatever we have to do to end Andre's business and then you all need to go back to your lives," she said, starting to walk away.

"And what about you?"

She turned around to face him.

"I'll have to go find someplace to go to and figure out what to do next before this other guy finds me," she said.

"Houston's not going to let you go," Antonio said.

She stood and looked at him for a long moment.

"He's not going to know and you're not going to tell him," she said, "He's not going to die over this. He's got his life."

"You've got a life too."

She sighed.

"I don't, as long as it's not my own."

He watched her walk away from him down the beach, wondering if he should have told her then realizing he had no choice.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51--Here's another chapter of this fanfiction story. I hope you like it and thanks for reading and commenting!

* * *

Antonio watched C.J. walk away down the beach, knowing that with his admission, he had set the process in motion for her to start running again. Still, she needed to know the truth because the trafficker who bought her from Andre probably would be looking for her soon if he weren't already and she needed to watch her back.

While working as a guard for Andre, Antonio had seen and heard much that had been ugly. At the end of each work shift, he spent time unwinding from what he had witnessed and even participated in, by working out, taking long showers. Anything to clean away the grime and not just that on the outside that came from the hard physical labor he engaged in while traveling every corner of the globe looking for his sister.

He walked down the beach where he knew C.J. had headed looking once again, for escape. This time, he knew what to say to her. He soon found her sitting on a rock looking out at the ocean where its waves broke on shore just yards away. She looked at him, and he sat down beside her.

"I'm sorry that I told you that," he said, quietly.

She turned to face him.

"Why did you?"

He looked out at the ocean, where birds flew around several boats moored close to shore.

"Because you need to know that there's more than one man hunting you."

She considered that for a moment, then nodded.

"Okay, now that I know," she said, "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do since I don't even know who this other man is, what he looks like, or even if he's already found me."

Antonio took off his sun glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. She watched him, noting a small jagged scar beneath one of his eyes.

"You don't remember anything, while you were held captive about this other man?"

She thought hard then shook her head.

"Nothing at all," she said, "I didn't see many people when I was there that I remember and Andre kept most of the other men away except Piser."

Antonio frowned.

"I know Antonio was furious when you tried to escape that first time," he said, "But I don't think that's why he would have sold you."

"There are gaps in my memory," she said, "I was just talking about them to Houston last night. Times when I don't remember what happened."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Antonio said, "No one remembers everything that happens to them."

"But these aren't memory lapses," she said, "There's just nothing there. Once I remember changing to get ready for…him and the next thing, it was morning and Elena…she was bringing me breakfast."

Antonio looked away.

"Then you might have been drugged," he said, "Andre has done that in the past."

"But why?"

"Andre knew you weren't there of your free will," Antonio said, "He clearly didn't want you to cause trouble."

"Well if I did during that time, I have no memory of it," she said, "But I do remember the first thing that came to my mind when I woke up was that I was going to get out of that place even if they killed me in the process."

* * *

Matt and Novelli helped Zeke and Brady haul in another net of fish, still wiggling inside by the dozens. The previous day's rain obviously hadn't hurt the fishing judging by the catch. They scooped them out in bunches and put them in the buckets to be taken to the refrigerated lockers below deck.

Novelli stood up and rubbed his back.

"I'm definitely not as young as I used to be," he said, "I grew up at my granddaddy's knee fishing with him but nothing quite like this."

"Some days, I don't think I'll ever wash the smell of fish off of me," Matt said, "But it's both hard work and relaxing at the same time."

Novelli agreed.

"It allows you to stop thinking for a while," he said, "The day after I retired from the LAPD, I couldn't get my mind to stop thinking about the job."

"Retirement suits you," Matt said, "You do look a lot better than the last time I saw you."

Novelli nodded, grimly.

"I like it, especially since I've got a couple businesses up and running," he said, "and my wife's started to have kids again. First twins and now another on the way."

Matt grinned.

"I heard that shriek on the phone the other night and thought it was something like that."

"Well, you'll understand when you're a father yourself, how very special the world becomes when you have to think of the next generation. Your next generation. Everything changes."

Matt grew silent.

"I'll have to take your word for it for now."

Vince slapped his back.

"Don't let this experience with Elizabeth get you down," he said, "Someday you'll meet someone and have a family of your own."

"Yeah well, first we've got work to do here," Matt said, "and I think we need to start laying out that trap for Duval pretty soon."

Vince untangled some of the net.

"I know that you think that this puts C.J. in a very risky position…"

"It does, Vince," Matt said, "But I haven't been able to think of any alternative."

"So do you have anything in mind with how you're going to draw his attention?"

Matt grew thoughtful.

"Maybe…"

* * *

Chris sat in her office, with her work piled in front of her which she couldn't even look at. She and Dan had discussed what she planned to say to Agent Denton but even though her fiancé had helped prepare her for her interview, she remained nervous.

Scott poked his head in the door.

"Has the illustrious Agent Denton dropped by yet?"

Chris shook her head.

"No not yet," she said, "And why do you care?"

Scott shrugged.

"I'm just curious," he said, "Nothing more. After all, I've spent enough time in his interrogation chair."

"I'm not really all that worried about the interview," she said, "After all, I'm not the one they're after."

"Chris, you can never be too sure of who a fed like Denton might be after," Scott said, "So you should be very careful of what you say to him."

Chris looked him in the eye.

"I'm always careful about what I say to anyone."

Scott tapped his fingers on the door.

"By the way, have you heard from our absentee CEO?"

"Oh, we both know that Matt doesn't do much with the company anymore," she said, "So what are you getting at?"

"I'm just wondering if you've heard from him," Scott asked.

That put Chris on guard.

"No…I haven't," she said, "He hasn't exactly been calling in and checking in. He hasn't even dropped by to pick up his mail."

Scott nodded his head.

"I see…you're not going to tell me are you?"

Chris looked at him, hiding her surprise at his assumptions.

"Well, no not exactly," she said, "After all, the boss did give you quite a shiner a while back."

"He just flew off the handle," Scott said, "These things often happen in a high-stress working environment."

Chris rolled her eyes.

"It has nothing to do with corporate pressure and everything to do with you betraying him."

Scott's face flushed in anger.

"There's no evidence that I have betrayed anyone let alone my best friend."

Chris folded her arms.

"Just listen to yourself," she said, "Matt punched you because of what happened to his best friend. He believes you're responsible and I know he's right."

"You don't know anything at all."

"I know that you're probably shaking in your boots right now because the feds are hanging around a lot more than they did several months ago."

"Oh yeah right, I'm scared of the feds."

"You would be if you were smart and we both know you're not," Chris said, "But I bet you've already tried to contact Mr. Duval by now to bail you out of your own mess. Well, I'll save him the trouble and tell you that the chances of him helping you out are about as good as a snowball's chance of surviving a day in the Mojave Desert."

Scott harrumphed.

"I would never contact Mr. Duval," he said, "He's in importing and we're in technology, so we wouldn't even pass through the same professional circles."

"Maybe you just better get back to work Scott," Chris said, "while you still have a job here because you won't when Matt returns."

"What…"

"In fact, you'll be lucky if you still have a life."

* * *

C.J. sat on the beach a while longer after Antonio had left her alone in her thoughts. She had struggled to remember what still eluded her but had given up. She might not ever be able to fill the gaps in her memories and maybe that would prove to be a blessing. After all, this wouldn't be her first experience with amnesia in her life.

She lay on the bed of the hotel room at a place in downtown Phoenix where she and Matt had spent the night before heading back to L.A. and leaving the nightmare of her adventures in Bannon County's penal system behind them. After they had left the state police headquarters the previous day, they had checked in to the hotel and ordered room service. She had little appetite but managed to eat some soup.

"I'm sorry," she said, pushing her bowl away, "I should be hungry but I'm not."

"It's okay," Matt said, "It's probably side effects from whatever drug they gave you. I think you'll feel better in the morning after a night's sleep."

"I feel better now that I'm out of there and you're here," she said, "I hope the other women are doing okay."

"I talked to my friend at the state police and he says they're all safe," Matt said.

C.J. paused.

"Did they find the others?"

Matt shook his head soberly.

"Not yet," he said, "They'll be out again in the desert tomorrow."

She tried to sleep in the strange motel bed but she couldn't stop thinking about the women lying buried out in the desert in unmarked graves because they had tried to escape from Sheriff Buntz and Piser's prostitution ring. How long had many of them been buried there, forgotten? At least, she knew now they would eventually be found and hopefully, identified so their families could be notified. If things had turned out different, if Matt hadn't seen her burned out vehicle at the garage at the side of the road…

She didn't even want to think about it, but as time passed, she couldn't stop the flow of images coming into her mind. She got out of bed, wrapped a robe around her and walked outside the motel room where she saw Matt standing and looking over a railing. He glanced up when he heard her door close.

"You wouldn't sleep either," she said, standing beside him looking out at the faint shades of pink and violet outlining the horizon over the reddened rocks.

"I did get a few hours," he said, "What about you?"

"I couldn't sleep," she said, "I kept thinking about the women in the desert."

"C.J…"

"I know," it could have been worse than it was," she said, "But I could have been one of them if you hadn't found me. There's no way in hell I wouldn't have tried to escape from there."

He looked at her and stroked her shoulder.

"I think you would have gotten away," Matt said, "You would have found a way. You're like that."

"I was thinking about it at Piser's ranch even looking for escape routes but I didn't know what made me do that," C.J. said, "I do now, now that I can remember who I am and where I came from."

"Because underneath it all, you're still you," Matt said, "Apparently not even amnesia or losing your memory can strip that away."

"But it forced me to view the world in a different way," she said, "I saw a very scary side of it. How could I have missed that such a place existed where women could be exploited, terrorized and…"

"Murdered," Matt finished for her because she couldn't get the word out.

"And most of the time, the world doesn't care," she said, "It just moves on around such evil as if doesn't exist, not even there in its midst."

Matt looked at C.J. who appeared as if she were going to start crying. She didn't want to because if she did, she might not stop. Matt chose his next words carefully.

"Buntz and Piser are going to prison for a long time," Matt said, "They'll probably lock them up and throw away the key, the most recent women they victimized are free now and you and I are going back home."

She nodded.

"I love the sound of that word," she said, tears brimming in her eyes.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. She closed her eyes and willed her body to stop shaking.

"So do I," he said, "and never more than in situations like this one."

She and Matt had gone back to L.A. and he even hosted a gala to welcome her back into the fold. And months later, she and the other women had testified about their experiences at the trial back in Arizona and both Buntz and Piser had been sentenced to long terms in state prison.

But as she learned later, Piser had received his 'get out of jail free' card and had gone to work with Andre Duval who had been the unseen mastermind behind the prostitution ring tucked inside a detention center hidden in a desert town in Arizona. And their paths would cross again several years later. The 'home' that she had returned to no longer existed for her, but Matt had stood by her through everything during the past few months. It had exacted a toll on him.

She knew that Antonio's news that he had given her had changed everything, that there might never be anywhere on earth that would ever be home again. She knew what she had to do once she helped Antonio get his sister back. She just hoped she had the fortitude and strength to do it.

* * *

Matt and Novelli walked on shore hauling some of the fish while Zeke and Brady tied up the boat. Bertha met them and joined them in bringing in the load of fish they had caught that day.

"Land sakes," she said, "You sure were busy today. There's some cold beer in the cooler on the porch."

Novelli and Matt began to walk towards the beer when Antonio gestured to Matt.

"I need to talk to you," he said, "It's very important."

Matt looked at Novelli.

"I'll join you in a minute," he said, "Save me one."

Matt and Antonio started walking towards the beach.

"So what's going on," Matt said, "It must really be something judging by the look on your face."

Antonio looked grave.

"What I'm going to tell you is strictly between the two of us."

Matt looked at him warily, then when he saw that Antonio wouldn't bend, nodded slowly.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I went to a federal prison in Florida to speak with Marquis Duval, Sr."

"Andre's father," Matt said, "Why?"

"To see if I could learn anything that might help me stop his son."

Matt frowned.

"That's hardly likely," he said, "But what did he tell you?"

"A lot actually, after all the man's in prison, what does he have to lose?"

"Not much," Matt admitted, "So did he admit to anything?"

Antonio nodded.

"He helped his son abduct C.J.," he said, "He was more than happy to do so to get back at you."

Matt looked down at the ground and then out at the ocean.

"I don't find that surprising," he said, "He's probably never gotten over the fact that I helped put him and his son away for the rest of their lives in separate prisons."

"He's given all his resources to Andre except money because all his accounts are frozen by various governments," Antonio continued, "Which still left Andre with a lot at his disposal like land…"

"And bombs," Matt said, thoughtfully, "He's certainly put them to use."

Antonio agreed.

"But there was something else he told me," he said.

Matt sighed.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is when the other shoe falls?"

Antonio remained quiet for a moment, his jaw working.

"He told me that his son sold C.J. to another trafficker," he said.

Matt closed his eyes momentarily.

"Did he say who?"

"No, but I think he's Eastern European or Russian," Antonio said, "Probably one of Andre's partners."

"And this guy's out there looking for C.J. too," Matt guessed.

"Probably, with or without Andre's help," Antonio said, "He wants his property that he feels Andre owes him."

"Does C.J. know?"

Antonio nodded.

"Yes I told her," he said, "And her instincts are telling her to take off where no one not even you can find her."

"She can't do that," Matt said, "She'll put herself in greater danger if she's alone."

"That's what I believe," Antonio said, "But she's adamant about not dragging you into this any longer, especially since she doesn't believe it will ever end."

Matt scratched his face.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I owe a big debt to her for my role in what's happened to her," Antonio said, "and I believe what's best for her is to bring this information to you although she told me not to do so."

"Thank you for doing that," Matt said, "but if I confront her with it, she'll take off."

"Then don't," Antonio said, "Keep it to yourself because if she doesn't think that you know, she'll stay until after we rescue Elena and take care of Andre. It's after that happens, that you'll need to worry."

Matt nodded.

"You need to find a way to convince her that somehow it's going to work out so this will be over."

"You're right," he said, "I'm just not sure how I'm going to do that but I'm going to have to come up with a plan."

"You will," Andre said, "just like I will get my sister back and we can all return home."

* * *

Rhonda peeked in on Jonathan, who was working at his desk. He heard the bag in her hand crinkle and looked up. She noticed that he actually wasn't upset to see her.

"What's in the bag," he said, putting down his folder.

"It's more of that Tex-Mex food," she said, walking in his office and taking it over, "Different dishes this time, just as tasty."

She put out some Styrofoam containers out and some plates and utensils.

"You got bottled water," she asked.

He nodded and opened his drawer to his desk, pulling out two bottles. He handed her one and she opened it up, practically inhaling it down.

"It's damn hot outside today," she said, "And the traffic…"

He smiled.

"Hey, it's Houston."

"You're right," she said, "So try some of this food before it gets cold."

"Well, I have about three dozen files to sort through by the end of the day but I think I'm hungry enough to eat all of that."

She sat down next to the desk and started serving food on the plates.

"If I hadn't shown up here, would you have eaten anything?"

He looked at her and then decided to be honest.

"Probably not, unless I picked up some dinner on the way back to the hotel."

She looked at him horrified.

"Didn't your mother tell you the importance of three square meals a day?"

He smiled despite himself.

"Actually she still does every chance she gets."

"Then she's a very smart woman," Rhonda said, "She already has a very smart son."

"I'll pass the reference along, the next time she tells me I work too hard and don't eat enough."

Rhonda sampled some of the food.

"This is delicious," she said.

After trying it, he agreed.

"I'll have to try that place out in person sometime."

She looked at him sideways.

"If you want company," she said, "I'll be more than happy to help you brave the waters of new cuisine."

He looked back at her, a bit surprised. She frowned.

"Then again, if you really want to…"

He shook his head.

"No, I'll be more than happy to take you some time," Jonathan said.

She smiled, pleased.

"I'll be more than happy to go," she said.

With that settled, they finished eating lunch in a comfortable silence.

At least until Brad knocked on the doorway and Jonathan put down his fork and told him to come in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Brad said, looking around.

"We're at work," Jonathan said, "What is it?"

"A meeting with Chad and Agent Denton in about 15 minutes…"

* * *

C.J. entered the bungalow and walked to the kitchen, not noticing Matt at first sitting on the couch.

"How'd your day go," he asked.

She looked at him and forced a smile.

"Fine, I read for most of it," she said, "How was fishing?"

He put down his magazine.

"We caught a bundle," he said, "The storm might have attracted more of them closer to shore."

"That's great," she said, "I bet the guys were happy about that."

"Yeah they're celebrating by going to the village tonight," he said.

"Are you going," she said.

"Maybe," he said, "if you'll go with me."

She looked conflicted.

"I don't know…"

"Come on," Matt said, "There's a floating poker game going on and it'd be great if you could win us more money."

"For the fund to help Elena, right?"

Matt nodded.

"Sure," he said, "Every little bit helps and I know you'll bring in more than a little."

She smiled.

"Okay, I'll go with you," she said, "Just let me change."

As she went into the bedroom to do that, Matt went to the kitchen where he had left his jacket. He looked out the window thinking of the challenge ahead of him to stop his best friend from running away again to try to keep him safe from her own nightmare.

She sat on the bed, a few feet away thinking how, when the time required it, she would ever be able to let him go.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52---Hi, another installment from this fanfiction. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked to the village to attend the party, held by the fishermen who had brought back buckets of fish when they had taken their boats out to sea that day. She looked forward to playing more poker so she could forget what Antonio had told her for a little while. Matt looked forward to sitting back and relaxing while watching Novelli coaxed some music out of some guitar strings as part of the entertainment.

But first they would hit the great food piled high on the tables in the courtyard which would be lit with torches and decorated with flora design to fit the occasion.

"I hope they have more of that smoked fish," he said, "And some kabobs."

She looked at him as they walked, memorizing the features on his face. The daily sun had tanned his face which had grown stubbly in the past several days. He had grown more muscular from the days spent training and out on the boats, pulling nets and hauling fish. She smiled at the enthusiasm in his voice.

"I'm sure they've got plenty of food," she said, "I'm hoping these fishermen brought their money."

Matt chuckled, knowing how adept C.J. had become at playing cards. She had taken home several hundred dollars each time she had played while on the island. It also got her mind of some of what had been troubling her so that she could sit back and laugh for a while.

"So how much do you think you'll take in tonight?"

She thought about it.

"I think I can pick up a couple hundred," she said, "Though I think they've been more wary the last couple games."

"I think that a few rounds of five card stud will just about do it," Matt said.

They approached the outskirts and knew all they had to do was just follow the music to find the party. Soon enough, they saw Bertha setting up her booth with Serena to display the desserts that they had made.

C.J. pointed.

"There's Vince," she said, "Is that him with a guitar in his hand?"

Matt smiled.

"Indeed it is," he said, "He promised to show us what he's made of tonight, musically speaking."

"I'll have to catch him after the poker game's done," C.J. said.

They walked over to the refreshment tables and C.J. grabbed herself a plate filled with food, then headed off to play poker inside the café.

"Good luck," he said to her before going over to where Novelli jammed with the band.

Matt joined Zeke who already sat there eating food and listening to the music at a nearby table.

"All the beer you can drink," Zeke said, gesturing towards a table.

"I'll start with this one," Matt said, pulling the tab, "So what'd you find out?"

Zeke frowned.

"Not much," he said, "Andre's somewhere in Asia right now, making some more deals."

"What about the other trafficker," Matt said.

"Less coming back on whom this person might be," Zeke said, "Andre's got some powerful partners but too many people around him have been paid off to be quiet about who's on his roster."

Matt nodded.

"Whoever this person is, he might complicate our operation if he's looking for C.J. as well."

"You're right. If we use her to draw Andre here," Zeke said, "It might draw out this guy as well."

Novelli walked up to them, looking energized and happy. He picked up a fresh beer and drank some of it down.

"You played well up there, Vince," Matt said, "More than held your own."

Vince smiled.

"It brought back memories of when I did some entertaining in Mama's restaurant…on slow nights of course."

"Of course…," Matt said, "Zeke's telling me the update on Andre and this other trafficker."

Vince became serious.

"Without knowing who this individual is or more about him, we could risk bringing him in an already complicated and precarious situation," Vince said.

"I know that Vince," Matt said, "But we've got a window of opportunity coming and it's the best time to ensure C.J.'s safety if we do it right."

Vince gave that some thought.

"Yeah if we bring Andre in before the other guy gets curious about what's going on in the Caribbean lately, then maybe that will cut the risk to C.J. way down."

"Unless they're working together," Matt said.

"There's always that possibility," Vince said, "which is why we really need to do our homework on this one before we make a move."

Matt nodded.

"When C.J. and I go back home, I really want this to all be over."

"We'll do our best on that end."

"Antonio's back on the island."

"So he really met up with Duval, Sr. in Florida," Vince asked, "that's an interesting twist to the family tree given that Duval's two sons don't exactly get along."

Matt thought about while trying the smoked fish.

"Is he helping his son?"

Matt sipped his beer.

"Yeah, according to what Antonio told me, most definitely."

"Makes sense," Novelli said, nodding his head, "Those bombs used earlier did trace back to Marquis, Sr."

"So Marquis is helping his illegitimate son in prison," Matt said, "in part to get back at me for putting both him and his other son in prison."

"That's because Andre's going after the best target as his father did," Novelli said, "Your best friend."

Matt paused for a while.

"Yeah that's right," he said, "but his son already had crossed paths with C.J. years ago through Scott and he knows that now even if he didn't during our encounter with him on his island."

"Scott still is working for him?"

Matt shrugged.

"I don't know for sure, but I suspect that there's some connection between the two of them," he said, "I know Scott's responsible for C.J.'s kidnapping."

"I heard you punched him out for that a while back."

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah I did," he said, "He deserved more than that. He might get it if our paths cross again."

"Matt, the feds will get him eventually," Novelli said, "In fact, if I were them, I would get him sooner and then use him to get to Duval."

"You'd think that would be their strategy," Matt said, "But it doesn't seem like they have much of one these days."

* * *

Scott sat in his office waiting for a phone call that he began to realize would never come. Surely, Andre had gotten his message by now even if it had been delayed by his traveling or through its deliverance by his assistant. Scott grimaced, pulled on his collar and watched the clock as it ticked away the minutes and then the hours as his panic for the first time began to grow. He had dug himself very deeply into a pit on this one and knew without a bailout, he would finally sink under the weight of the past eight years. His actions had finally caught up with him not that he would ever accept responsibility for them.

He hadn't slept well last night. In fact for the past week every night he had retreated to his bed, he had been met with vivid dreams replaying memories of years past inside his head, leaving himself a captive audience to his life.

"He isn't going to call you," a voice came from the door.

He looked up and then he saw her standing there looking just like the day they had last seen each other. Back whenshe had been filled with good health and the heady promise only youth could bring. Were his eyes lying to him? It couldn't be her not after all this time. Besides, no one could transcend death and return to the world of the living.

"Julia?"

She smiled sadly at him as he watched her stroll inside the room, gliding smoothly as if those days of illness and pain had slid away from her.

"He won't call you," she said, "and he's not coming to rescue you. The Duvals of the world simply use people then toss them aside when they're done with them. They never help them, only themselves."

He found himself responding to the impossible, attempting the more impossible which was trying to make her understand.

"How did you know I didn't call Matt Houston to tell him I was going to help him?"

She laughed, the sound reverberating like soft bells inside his mind where she truly lived still.

"We both know that is not the case," she said, "You two are no longer friends."

"We just had a simple mis…"

She interrupted, a note of harshness in her voice which clashed with the heart-shaped face framed with curls and her lush figure clothed in a pink summer dress standing before him.

"He'll kill you if he has the chance," she said, "You betrayed him just like you betrayed C.J. Just as you betrayed me."

"I can make him understand," Scott said, "that I had no choice."

She stood next to him and he inhaled the soft scent of Gardenias.

"He already does understand, Scott," she said, "What you did to destroy his best friend. My best friend. She's fighting to stay alive, they both are, because of what you did…for what money?"

Scott ran his hand through his hair.

"It's not that simple…"

"Then how is it?"

"You would never understand," he said, "Everything always came so naturally to you and Matt."

"Matt's not like you," Julia said, "He truly cares about the people in his life, enough so that he'd risk his own to help them. C.J. most of all."

"She never liked me," Scott said, "She tried to turn you against me."

Julia looked sad, amid her beauty.

"Was she wrong to be worried about me," she said, "Look at you now."

"I'm in a much better position than I was in college," he said.

"We were all so close back then when we were in school," she said, "Why did you try to destroy that? Why wasn't what we had together enough for you?"

"It was enough," Scott said, "I just wanted more out of life. I wanted everything that was out there. There's a lot in this world but you have to go out and get it before someone else beats you to it."

Julia sighed.

"No matter what the price," she said, "No matter what it does to the people around you? What about me? What about our baby…"

He looked up at her startled.

"I didn't…"

"Andre Duval will not save your life even if you give him what he wants most," Julia said, "And Matt will come for you after he's done finishing Duval's reign of terror."

Scott shook his head.

"Yes this is true and it will come to pass," she said, "So you see what has become of you from that young idealistic man you used to be?"

And with that, she vanished, leaving the room awashed with the scent of flowers. Scott looked around him frantically, not knowing whether he had been asleep and dreamed the whole thing.

"Julia…"

"Sir?"

Scott looked up, his eyes wild to see Kyra looking down at his puzzled.

"Who were you talking to," she said, "There's no one here."

He just sat in silence until she left him alone.

* * *

C.J. stepped out of the café, money in hand. She walked to where Matt and the others sat listening to Vince jam with the other musicians. He saw her and smiled as she sat down beside him happily.

"I see Ms Parsons, you broke hearts and probably a few bank accounts again."

She nodded.

"It was a great poker game this week," she said, "There were some new players."

Brady had followed her to join them.

"She called every bluff they tried and then pulled a couple of her own," he said, in admiration.

"I love poker," she said, "I find it very relaxing. The earnings are a bonus."

"So are you going to celebrate," Matt asked.

"Yeah, I'll buy the next round of drinks and put some money in the kitty for some starving musicians over there."

Matt chuckled.

"Vince is really holding his own with them," he said, "He dedicated this latest set to Sr. Ruth in high school who he claims discovered his musical talent and set him on the right path."

C.J. rested her chin on her palm.

"He's definitely great with a guitar," she said, "He's a man of many talents."

"Did you get anything to eat?"

She nodded.

"Plenty of food at the poker game," she said, "I think some of them were thinking if I kept eating, I wouldn't be nearly as focused on the game."

"Not much chance of that," Matt said, "So how much did you bring in tonight?"

She removed the money from her pockets and dumped it on the table. The men around her widened their eyes at the number of bills.

"About $500," she said.

Zeke shook his head.

"The next round of drinks is definitely on you," he said.

* * *

Rhonda met Chris and Fran at the bar where their men were watching the football game. She sat down and poured herself some beer from the pitcher.

"Where the wings?"

"They're on their way," Chris said, "We just got here."

"I was stuck in traffic," she said, "and I'm not that hungry."

Chris grinned.

"Oh yeah, that's right, you were going to drop off some takeout for…Jonathan."

"Somebody's got to make sure he's eating," Rhonda protested, "How else is he going to be able to put in a full day's worth of work?"

"And you've assigned yourself that job?"

Fran rolled her eyes.

"She's just into him, that's all."

Rhonda turned to look at her, shocked.

"I can't believe you would say such a thing," she said, "But he is kind of nice to look at now that you've brought that up."

Fran laughed.

"Yeah right," she said, "Hey Chris, how did your interview go with the G-men?"

Chris shook her head.

"This Agt. Denton canceled at the last minute," she said, "I was kind of relieved."

"Why," Rhonda said, "It's your chance to nail Scott to the wall."

"Yeah, but having the feds involved in all this is how it became such a mess."

Rhonda sighed.

"They're not all bad," she said, "and maybe this Denton guy is a good one."

"Maybe Jonathan's the good one," Chris corrected, "We should bring him in the loop."

Rhonda tilted her head.

"We should think about it first," she said, "and let me sweeten him up a bit with a few more takeout food dates."

The chicken wings arrived and they all grabbed some to put on their plates.

"I would really like to nail Scott for what he's done," Chris said.

"We will," Rhonda said, "Kyra just called from the office. She said that Scott looked totally rattled when she checked on him."

"Good," Chris said, "He should be."

"No argument from me either," Fran said.

Chris looked at her beer.

"What's up Chris," Fran asked.

"I guess I feel responsible for not seeing what was going on the night C.J. disappeared," Chris said, quietly, "I'll always feel like I could have prevented it somehow if only I knew."

Rhonda rubbed her shoulder.

"There's no way to know back then," she said, "But now that we do know, we have to come up with a way to stop him."

"The feds keep trying to get him to admit to something incriminating but so far he's remained one step ahead of them."

"Well his luck won't last forever," Rhonda said, "One day it will all come crashing down and he'll get exactly what he deserves."

* * *

"So what's your plan," Novelli said.

He had played his guitar for hours, coaxing every note out of it he could before finally walking off the stage and getting himself a cold one before sitting with his friends.

Matt sipped his beer bottle.

"I'm thinking of all the different ways to bring Andre back to our corner of the world."

C.J. looked up at them.

"Scott can do that," she said.

They both looked at her.

"If you find a way to leak the information to him, he'll go straight to Duval with it," C.J. said, "He has to, in order to try to save himself."

Matt and Novelli thought about it then nodded.

"That would work," Novelli said, "Do you have anyone who can help you do that?"

"We have some friends in Houston," C.J. said, "You know Chris who worked for the agency while you were in L.A."

"Yeah I remember her," he said, "I had to sweet talk her a couple of times to get her to try to tell me what you two were either up to or holding back on and she was always onto me."

"Maybe we should get in touch with them," C.J. said.

"It's going to be risky," Matt said, "But I'm sure they'll be willing to help us."

Novelli nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

C.J. nodded but her mind drifted off to a conversation from long ago. One that she had been thinking about since her conversation with Antonio.

* * *

"Who's that man," C.J. said to Elena after the girl had brought her daily lunch meal to her.

Normally, the hallway leading to her room remained quiet most of the day but she had heard a series of footprints travel by the hallway and then some voices which stopped by her door. One of them belonged to Piser, but she didn't recognize the other except that he had some type of accent. She was curious about the arrival of the stranger and found herself wanting to learn more about him.

Elena looked in the direction of the door.

"I don't know who he is," she said, "I've only seen him once or twice but I've spoken with him on the phone many times. He's a businessman from overseas."

"What's he doing here?"

Elena shrugged.

"I don't know," she said, "Maybe making a deal with Mr. Duval."

"What kind of business does Mr. Duval do with men like that?"

Elena played with her hands.

"The senor Duval is an importer," she said, "He travels a lot and has meetings with many important and wealthy people to make deals with them about merchandise, I assume."

"They were outside the door for a while," C.J. said, "I couldn't hear what they were saying."

"That must have been when Mr. Piser brought him down here to get him a look around," Elena said, "There must be something that Senor Duval has that this gentleman wants."

* * *

C.J. tried to clear her head and stop focusing on the past. She might never remember what had happened to her during that missing time and she probably would have to live with that. Still, conversations drifted into her mind and she didn't know why. None of it made any sense but she did know that since she found out about the other trafficker hunting her down, fear had filled her that she kept sated only because she had grown good at it.

Matt, Novelli and the others continued talking and she listened half-heartedly to what they said. Her mind remained stubbornly elsewhere.

* * *

Andre sat in his office after he had fielded his daily phone call from his assistant, Elena. She had told him that everything looked good at his Caribbean base and that she had heard back from his men who ran several of his compounds in different corners of the globe. She wondered how much Elena had gleaned about his real enterprise during the several years she had spent working in his office and decided probably not very much. It was much more useful to keep her in the dark, to keep her loyal. He had a feeling if she knew the truth, she might not approve.

He looked at his latest fax from her office and saw that a message had been received from Scott Prescow, a name he hadn't expected to see show up again. After all, he had collected his payment from Scott months ago and told him to consider his debt paid in full. The two had parted ways and Andre washed his hands of a man he didn't trust. He wondered what Scott wanted but then decided it wasn't worth the effort to try to find out as he was busy searching the globe for the woman that Scott had procured for him to pay off his debt.

So he put the fax down with Scott's name on it, ignoring it for now and picked up the more pressing message from Elena to return a call from a man he simply called the Jaguar. Andre picked up the phone and pressed in the code for his contact.

"This is Andre," he said, "Is he in?"

He waited until Jaguar came to the phone.

"I hope this is good news, Andre."

"You know I will call you immediately once she's located," Andre said, "That hasn't happened yet but my men are getting close."

The man on the other end of the line sighed. Andre heard the anger in his tone but didn't know what else to tell him.

"Andre, I've been very patient with you and your men since she slipped out of your possession," Jaguar said, "But she's bought and paid for and I expect delivery soon. I'm due to pick her up to take her to the Ukraine."

"I've got my best people using all their resources to look for her," Andre said, "There's no place she can hide on this earth for long that we won't find her and bring her in. You will have her soon and you can do with her what you wish."

"My clientele is waiting for what I promised them," Jaguar said, "And she still needs more work before she will be ready and presentable for them."

"She's very stubborn but that's no longer my problem," Andre said, "It was your decision to take her as payment for what I owed you."

"I believe I made the second best choice," Jaguar reminded him, "You found the first totally unacceptable."

Silence met him.

"It remains unacceptable," Andre said, "So I gave you my second most prized possession and you found that satisfactory."

"I hear you've attracted quite a bit of attention," Jaguar said, "That's not good for our line of business."

Andre paused.

"It's nothing serious," he said, "There's no way they can tie me to the trafficking trade. It's just a fishing expedition, nothing more."

"You have to make sure it stays that way," the Jaguar said, "But you've also lost your right hand man."

"An unfortunate accident," Andre said, then thought of something, "I have a replacement in mind. A younger man, very smart and very ambitious to move up in the organizations."

"I hope so," Jaguar said, "You provide the best merchandise of anyone in the business but discretion is the most important part of our business and we can't afford to do business with an operation that's attracted the attention of law enforcement."

"Understood," Andre said, "This extra attention will only be temporary. When nothing pans out, they'll get bored and move onto some other witch hunt to get good press."

"I hope so, Andre," the Jaguar said, "Because I would hate to have to bring my men in to oversee your operation."

Andre's voice grew steely.

"There's no reason to do so," he said, "We will find her and return her to you and then everything will go back to business as usual. It's very lucrative for both of us to continue this partnership."

"Very well Andre," Jaguar said, "I'll expect an update from you very soon."

Andre listened to his partner end the call and then entered in the codes to call someone else.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53---Here's the latest installment of this story. I hope you like it, thanks for reading and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

Matt sat on a bar stool in his penthouse suite in L.A. nursing a sore jaw and a sunken heart when Novelli charged off the elevator. He appeared angry and looking at him, Matt knew why. He wished the veteran cop would go away and take his tirade elsewhere. All Matt wanted was to be left alone to try to figure out how to save his best friend and business partner from a group of organized terrorists. Having Vince or any other law enforcement officer in the vicinity would just get her killed all the faster. But not having Vince or any of the others in his trade involved made saving C.J. all that much closer to being impossible. For the first time in his life, Matt felt completely lost.

_"You are being watched,"_ an audiotape that Matt had discovered tucked in his shirt pocket after he had regained consciousness reminded him any time he had second thoughts about going about it alone.

Still Vince approached on a tear and Matt raised his hand.

"Look Vince, I told you I had nothing more to say," he said, "so go ahead and punch the other jaw if it will make you feel better."

"You're going to let that murderous scum back out on the street," Vince said, "he'll just go out and kill again. That's what he does for a living."

Matt sighed.

"Just go away, Vince," he said, "I have nothing more to say to you."

Vince looked around the spacious suite.

"Quiet day today, isn't it," he said, "I don't see Pam or any of the other receptionists you have working for you."

"It's the weekend Vince," Matt said, "they all have homes to go to and families to take care of."

Rather than leaving, Vince sat down on the couch. Matt steeled himself for his next question.

"If they're home, why are you here?"

"Just catching up on some work," Matt said, not looking at him.

"I don't see your better half here," Vince said, "Where's she?"

Matt flinched a bit when Vince mentioned C.J. in a roundabout way, so different than his usual direct style of questioning. He had to stay on his toes and that wouldn't be easy around a seasoned cop like Vince who was also until this morning's alteracation at the fountain, a great friend.

"Why did you come Vince," Matt said, "to go another round or two with me. You'll be wasting your time. My mind's made up."

Vince studied his friend.

"I'm not here to say anything to your ugly mug," he said, "I'm here to meet with C.J."

Matt's heart froze right before it sank. He tried to cover it with a smile.

"She took the day off," he said, knowing his lie sounded weak the moment it passed his lips. He also knew Vince would never buy it.

Vince folded his arms.

"Okay, I'll give her a call then," Vince said, whipping out his cell phone.

"She's not…"

Vince looked up seeing Matt's face for the first time and what he saw he didn't like…at all. Matt just stared at him, looking defiant but mostly looking lost.

"I did chat up your receptionist Pam at the local Starbucks," Vince said, "She's a tough nut to crack but this time I don't think she knew very much. She said that you and C.J. had taken your jet to the Bahamas on some business jag but that you had returned and not C.J.."

"I had business…"

Vince chuckled without mirth.

"What kind of business could drag a man like yourself away from spending time in one of the world's true remaining paradises with a lovely woman like C.J.?"

Matt didn't answer, just looked at his drink which to Vince looked like Scotch.

Vince paused.

"Do you have any idea where C.J. is now?"

Matt couldn't answer, except for a brief shake of his head.

"Duval, sr," Vince said, "I never believed those rumors about his so-called demise."

Matt nodded this time and then the words came.

"His men intercepted our plane, drugged us and held us captive," Matt said, "He then knocked me out and brought me back here saying that if I didn't recant my testimony and free his son, C.J. would die."

Vince shook his head.

"Son of a gun…"

"He meant it, Vince," Matt said, "When I tried to escape and his men caught me, they threatened to shoot C.J. right in front of me. The last thing I remember before passing out was her tied up."

He put his head in his hands.

"I left her alone with those monsters."

Vince softened, a friend now rather than a hardened cop.

"Not much of a choice was it," he said, "I should have known you better than I showed you this morning."

"I've got to get her back and if freeing Duval is the only way…"

"Except that won't bring her back Houston," Vince said, "They'll kill you before you even reach the island and then they'll kill her anyway."

Matt remained silent for a while.

"I know but I have to try," he said.

"Then let me help you," Vince said, "If we work at it together, we'll get her back."

* * *

Matt woke up with a start in his bed. Ever since they met, Matt had always respected Vince even before they slowly became close friends. He was glad that Vince had come down to the island to help them bring down Andre so that he and C.J. could return home. Already, he had proven himself once again a valuable ally.

The sun shined through the window so Matt knew morning had arrived. He got out of bed and walked into the kitchen to get some food. C.J. sat there drinking some juice and eating an energy bar. Antonio had plans to take them up the mountain again to test their climbing skills.

"Are you ready for today," C.J. asked, looking up at Matt.

"I hope so," Matt said, "It should be fun. The mountains here are beautiful."

"They sure are," C.J. said, "They're not quite like the Rockies but they're just as pretty."

"How did you sleep," Matt asked.

She put down her juice and looked at him.

"Better," she said, "I think the poker game and Vince's music relaxed me."

"He's really talented on that guitar," Matt said, "he should have been doing that instead of being a cop."

C.J. shrugged.

"But he loves helping people so much," she said, "He would have felt something missing in him even if being a musician made him happy."

"Do you ever feel something missing, C.J.?"

She thought about it.

"Now might not be the best time to ask," she said, "But I loved what we did, I think I just want to start doing something in my life which helps more women."

Matt nodded.

"Like I said, you'd be great with the foundation."

"I want to do more," she said, "I've got a law degree. I've got all this experience and training working with you. I want to start something but I'm not sure what…"

"You'll figure it out," he said, "and you'll do wonderfully with it. You're a very special lady with a lot to offer the world and I'm damned lucky to have you as my best friend."

Moisture threatened the corners of her eyes and she blinked it away.

"Thank you, Houston," she said, "that means a lot to me but I still have to deal with getting Andre out of business and my life and this other guy…"

"We're working hard to come up with a plan to do that," Matt said, "and we will do it. And we will go back home."

She nodded.

"I can't wait until that day becomes real."

* * *

Chris sat in the conference room and drummed her fingers on the table, waiting for this Agt. Simon Denton or whatever his name was to come and interrogate her. She didn't have to wait long as he and another agent, both dressed in dark suits walked into the room and sat down.

"We're just here to interview about anything you might know about Scott Prescow," Simon said.

"Is he under investigation?"

Simon looked at his partner.

"We can't tell you that," he said, "All ongoing investigations are confidential."

She nodded and then sat back in her seat.

"Okay, I'm ready," she said, "You can start firing away with the questions."

Simon folded his hands and placed them on the table.

"We just have several for you," he said, "We don't want to take up too much of your time."

Chris shrugged.

"I want to help my friends," she said, "They've been gone too long."

Simon took out his audiorecorder, flipped it on and then placed it on the table in front of him. He also reached for a notebook. Chris watched him, wondering if she should have brought her own equipment but then he cleared his throat. She sat at attention, not being able to help herself.

"All right, first we want to know about your relationship with Mr. Prescow," Denton said, "How long did you know him?"

"Not very long," Chris said, "I know that he, C.J. and Matt went way back to college or something but when I first started working for Houston Enterprises, Scott wasn't there. He did show up about a year ago after working abroad in some capacity."

"I see," Denton said, writing it down.

"He came from Europe, I think it was to do some accounting work for Matt kind of out of the blue," she said.

Simon frowned.

"What do you mean, 'out of the blue'?"

Chris gave it some thought.

"None of us expected someone to just come in and get such a large assignment like that," Chris said, "Oh he was qualified but still, he hadn't been with the company for a while."

"How did you feel about him," Simon asked.

"I never trusted him," Chris said, quickly, "I don't know why, but I just didn't think his motives were honest or honorable. But I never pursued that and now I wish I had."

"Why is that?"

Chris struggled to keep the emotion out of her words.

"Because I know that he's responsible for what happened to C.J. back to her disappearance," she said, "I know Scott's tied in somehow with Andre Duval but I can't prove it."

"Andre Duval, the importer?"

Chris nodded.

"Yes, I and some associates with the Houston Women's foundation had a meeting with him some weeks ago, but we felt it was just a fishing expedition by him to find out information on where C.J. was hiding out."

Simon leaned closer.

"Do you know where C.J. and Matt are now?"

She shook her head.

"I haven't any idea," she said, "We've never been contacted by either one of them. I think they want to keep us in the dark so that if we do get questioned, we can't give their locations away."

Simon nodded, writing that down.

"Were you the last person to see C.J. before she disappeared?"

Chris tried to think back, running her hand through her hair.

"I guess I was one of the last people who saw her," she said, "We were working late in the office. C.J. had been working on something that she said Murray Chase, the current president of Houston Enterprises asked her to do. I don't think that's true."

Simon raised a brow at his partner.

"Why not," he asked.

"Because I asked him about it after her disappearance and he didn't seem to know much about anything like that."

"I see," Simon said, "C.J. was actually working for us on an investigation tied with the Department of Homeland Security, do you know anything about that?"

Chris widened her eyes.

"A little, but no details. Certainly nothing from C.J.'s end."

"Prescow was one of our suspects," Simon said, "But we didn't tell C.J. that."

"He gave her the phone number of someone trying to get into touch with her about some aspect of the company," Chris said, "C.J. seemed very interested and went to meet him before she disappeared."

"Her vehicle was found in the parking garage of the Century City office," Simon said, "but she wasn't with it."

"She turned up six months later with the U.S. Marshal's office," Simon's partner said, "She contacted an agent there from a payphone."

Chris nodded.

"Jonathan , I remember him," she said, "I helped him, only because Mr. Houston wasn't in the country."

"Was he on vacation," Simon asked.

"He was taking a break from the terrifying incident at his wedding with an old enemy and a cancellation of the event itself."

"Ah yes, his bride left him at the altar," Simon said.

Chris' hairs bristled.

"You had to be there to really understand what was going on," she said, "He just needed to take a break from his career and he took off for a while."

"And he never got in touch with any of you?"

Chris shook her head.

"He was busy trying to find his way back," she said, "He's done nothing wrong, it's others who took advantage of his absence to cause harm."

"That's one way of looking at it," Simon said, nodding.

That angered Chris and she clenched her fists out of sight.

"Matt had nothing to do with C.J.'s kidnapping."

"Then why won't he release her to federal custody now?"

"He doesn't feel that she's safe in your care," Chris said, "After all, she had several attempts against her life and he won't risk her safety."

"Whoever's after her, is going to find her, Chris," Simon said, "And then we may have no choice to help her."

Chris grew indignant.

"Listen, if you want to help her, go get Andre and bring him into justice," she said, "That's the best thing you can do for either her or Matt."

* * *

Jonathan and Rhonda sat in an office adjacent to the conference room.

"How do you think it's going in there?"

He looked at Rhonda.

"They'll team tag her for a while, then eventually get what they want."

Rhonda snorted.

"Not Chris," she said, "She's a lot tougher than she looks."

Jonathan sighed.

"It won't matter," he said, "Agt. Denton is one of the best at getting to what he wants. He doesn't have any qualms about using assorted methodologies…"

"You mean torture," Rhonda asked.

Jonathan laughed.

"No we draw the line there," he said, "But in terms of interrogative tactics, he's among the best."

Rhonda sat in her chair looking at him.

"Why are they doing this to Chris," she said, "Why not focus their attention on Duval or Scott Prescow, you know the real criminals?"

"They're hoping that she's got something on Prescow that will link him to Duval," Jonathan said, "unless of course they're trying to use her to find Matt and C.J."

"She doesn't know where they are," Rhonda said, "None of us do. I think they want to keep our risk of danger low here and figure that the less we know, the safer we will be."

Jonathan looked at his hands.

"No one's safe," he said, "especially if Andre's not the only trafficker out there looking for C.J."

"You found another one?"

He nodded .

"An Eastern European man might have purchased her from Andre through a business transaction," Jonathan said, grimly, "but we don't have enough information on that situation right now."

Rhonda stood up in disgust.

"How can one human being buy another one," she said, "C.J. was just kidnapped off the street and now she's got two really bad guys tracking her?"

"We don't know if that's the case Rhonda," Jonathan said, "We have to be patient and search for the facts."

"Yeah, our patience has gotten us little to no where so far," Rhonda grumbled.

"We just have to keep trying," Jonathan said, "It will pay off I promise you."

Rhonda looked at him, and gave a weak smile.

"I don't know if I believe you," she said, before getting up and leaving the room.

* * *

Matt and C.J. met up with Antonio and Zeke and they began hiking into the mountains after passing through the surrounding rain forest. The warmth of the air surrounded them comfortably as the headed single filed up the first smaller mountain in the range. C.J. walked near the front, feeling her fitness and not having much trouble with the exercise. Novelli had begged off, spending more time working with Serena on radio codes that might prove useful to them the day they launched their operation.

"Are you feeling better?"

C.J. looked up at the sound of Antonio's deep voice.

"I'm fine and the day is lovely," she said, "I won't slow down anyone today."

He appraised her.

"I wouldn't think so," he said, "In fact, you're probably among the fittest people in this crew."

She smiled.

"It was all that time spent ranching in Colorado," she said.

He nodded.

"I know how good that ranch work is at making a person very fit," Antonio said, "It provides an important foundation which can be built upon."

She looked up at him.

"I intend to do so," she said.

"How's the sleeping," he asked.

She paused looking for good handholds in the rock.

"Better than it has been," she said, "although I have dreams, strange ones, involving a young woman with long dark hair. Very beautiful."

That piqued Antonio's interest.

"What does she say," he asked.

"Not much," C.J. said, tying her hair back, "Just a warning but one that it's too late to heed."

"Does she have a name?"

C.J. concentrated very hard.

"Sierra, I think it is."

Antonio appeared quiet so she looked up at him. His face had frozen.

"What's the matter," C.J. asked.

"Sierra's the name of my other sister."

Matt caught up with them and saw the two just staring at each other in both realization and shock.

"What's up," he asked.

Antonio spoke first.

"She knew my sister's name," he said.

"Yeah, Elena, right?"

"No Matt, my other sister's name, which is Sierra."

Matt looked at C.J.

"Is this true?"

She looked down at her hands.

"A woman named Sierra was in my dreams, warning me about Andre," C.J. said, "I think Andre killed her when she tried to escape."

Antonio nodded.

"We never found out what happened to her," he said, "or any signs of her body."

"Serena said she heard about the graveyard found at the abandoned compound in Washington State," Matt said, "Maybe she's there."

"Maybe," Antonio said, "but everything else about her life remains a mystery."

* * *

Elena followed the older woman into the room where they kept C.J. Earlier the woman had asked Elena to bring C.J. her lunch meal a bit early and she had done so without question. However, now she realized that something had been added to the meal to make C.J. feel weak and queasy.

"I don't feel good," C.J. had said, curling herself into a fetal position against the wall.

"Maybe you just ate too quickly," Elena reasoned.

C.J. looked up at Elena, seeing two of her.

"I think I was drugged," she said.

Elena shook her head vehemently.

"No, no, you just must be feeling under the weather today, Ma'am ," she said, "You'll feel better soon."

The older woman scolded Elena and tossed her a pile of flimsy clothes.

"You have to get her dressed in these," she said, "and now that she's almost out, she'll be of no help."

Elena picked up each item one at a time.

"Wait, these clothes, they belonged to the other girl," she said.

The woman pretended not to hear what she had just said, but tossed her some heeled shoes.

"I remember her," Elena said, "I think her name was…it began with an 'S'. Whatever happened to her?"

The woman shrugged and ordered Elena to get C.J. dressed.

"Why the rush," Elena said.

"She's got a meeting with Andre's partner in an hour in his headquarters," the woman said, "He's looking for a new woman for his…"

"Business?"

The woman nodded.

"Yes, you learn quickly," she said, "Originally the…businessman wanted another young woman…to work for him but Senor Duval vetoed that choice and offered up this woman instead."

"Why her," Elena asked, "The senor seemed fond of her."

"She's pretty enough, built nicely and he only picks the best for his collection," the woman said., "And at this point in the business, it doesn't matter what the senor wants. He's got people to answer to as we all do."

Elena helped dress C.J. carefully, as she seemed too weak to do it herself but trepidation filled her heart. After all, she had helped another young woman get ready for a meeting not long after she started, and that woman was never seen again.

"Don't make me go," a weak voice said.

Elena looked down and saw an expression in C.J.'s eyes which made her hesitate what she was doing but she continued dressing her anyway. And sure enough, an hour later two guards came to the room and led C.J. down the corridor. After she left, Elena sat on the bed and put her head in her hands.

* * *

C.J. had returned some hours later, dressed in a robe and her wrists bruised. Elena didn't ask where she had been and she knew that C.J. would never tell her. She spent most of the rest of the day curled in the corner not talking to anyone.

C.J. heard a noise which startled her from her memories, though the ones that had been summoned were so foggy that she didn't know if they were real or imagined. Matt walked alongside her, watching her and noticing the change in her mood.

"When we get back, let's go swimming," he said.

She turned around to look at him.

"Where? Here?"

He nodded.

"We'll go out on the boat until we reach a small cove and there's some great swimming there," he said, "It will be a lot of fun."

She looked at him warily.

"You won't push me off the boat like last time?"

He put his hands up in front of him.

"I promise to do so such thing," he said, "It will strictly be swimming between two friends caught on a tropical island."

She laughed, brushing off her hands.

"Okay, you have got a date," she said.

And they both walked back to the house determined to leave their cares behind them for a while at least.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54---This is the latest installment of this very long story. I hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and for your comments. I also started a forum of sorts which will be listed under "tv" in the forum section if you're interested in dropping by.

* * *

Matt steered the boat through the waves while C.J. stood, looking over the rail at the open sea. The sun shone brightly overhead and few white caps bobbed on top of the currents around them. Birds flew over the boat, crying for handouts.

"It's so lovely out here," C.J. said, "I never grow tired of seeing the ocean down here."

"I don't think you'll ever see water this shade of blue anywhere else," he said, "and it's still very warm this time of year, great for swimming."

She smiled.

"Thanks for suggesting this," she said, "I really did need to get away for a little while."

"This will give you that opportunity, C.J. and we can have some time away from this which I think you really need about now."

She looked down.

"I think I do," she said, "The past couple of days…"

"It's that news from Antonio, isn't it?"

She paused and then she nodded.

"It's reminded me of how much I don't know, or maybe a better word for it is remember."

"Whatever it is, it will come back," he said.

She looked at him, her eyes troubled.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she said, "not all the time, just sometimes."

He moved closer to her.

"Whatever it is," Matt said, "We'll deal with it and we'll find a way to get through it."

"I saw the expression on Antonio's face when I mentioned his sister's name," she said, quietly.

Matt paused.

"That was certainly strange that you knew it," he said, "Is there any chance you two could have come into contact?"

C.J. shook her head.

"Like I said, by the time I got there, she was probably dead," she said, "I think I was her replacement."

"Did anyone talk about her," Matt said, "or mention her name to you or in front of you, even Elena?"

"Not that I remember," C.J. said, "but then again, I don't remember everything that happened when I was there so something could have happened like that and I could have forgotten."

"Antonio's been looking for her for a long time," Matt said.

C.J. nodded.

"But he has to think of his other sister, Elena now," she said, "We have to help him get her away from Andre."

Matt paused, looking out at the ocean.

"Andre treats her different than other women," he said, "at least that's the way it sounds. I wonder why that is."

C.J. followed his gaze.

"I think that's true," she said, "But he still owns her. A guilded cage is still just a cage."

* * *

Elena looked up from her computer screen towards the tray of fruit which had been left on her desk. She had been too busy to do more than nod at the servant who had delivered her breakfast. She had just received another fax from Andre about plans for the upcoming party but he still kept her in the dark when it came to the logistics, including one of the most important details, its location.

She didn't question why her boss kept her out of the loop on so many of the important planning decisions that he still depended on her to make. She just shook her head after reading the fax including the last line where Andre wrote that he didn't have any set date for returning to the island. Elena knew that he expected her to do her best to carry out his itinerary regardless of his unwillingness to give her enough information to do just that well. He expected perfection from his employees.

She picked up a piece of sliced mango but before it reached her lips, she put it down and reached into her pocket for her worn picture of her brother, who she knew now to be Antonio. The photograph had become even more worn and frayed at the edges since she learned his identity and had reunited with him for the first time since she had been a little girl back in Eucador. She found herself missing him so keenly, as if a piece of her had been torn away. They had so many years, so many miles between them and a whole lifetime spent apart from each other to make up. Would they ever receive that chance? And then she asked herself the more difficult question, would Andre allow it?

She sighed, putting the picture back where it came from and returning to work. Thinking about all that had happened during the past couple of days or so served no immediate purpose as her life was here on this island. A phone call buzzed through to her line, interrupting her thoughts. Something she welcomed.

"Hello, this is Elena," she said.

"Ah yes, Elena, how good to hear your voice," the man with the clipped voice said.

She grew confused.

"Excuse me?"

"My apologies, for being overly familiar but we have spoken on the phone before," the voice said, "I almost feel like we've met in person."

A chill passed over her suddenly. She knew they had never met but something appeared familiar about his voice, something she couldn't put her finger on but she felt it strongly. Surely, their paths had crossed in some fashion before but Elena couldn't think of when or where.

"How many I help you…"

"Just call me Kostas," he said, "Those who know me do."

"All right, Kostas," she said, the name not rolling easily off of her tongue.

"I need to talk to Mr. Duval if he's available, " Kostas said, "It's about a business deal."

Elena hesitated.

"Mr. Kostas, Mr. Duval's not here," she said, "He's doing a series of business meetings in different places."

"I know, I'm one of his clients," Kostas said, "Actually more like a business partner. I entered into a deal with him and I'm still awaiting payment."

Elena brightened.

"Well, I could transfer you to our billing accounts department and someone there can help you."

"This matter's a bit more complicated than that," Kostas said, "I need to speak to him directly about the missing merchandise he promised me."

"It might help me help you if you would be more specific," Elena said.

Silence greeted her request. She wondered if he would answer her question until the moment she heard his voice again.

"I can't be," Kostas said, "I do apologize for that but I have to be very discrete in my line of business."

"I see," Elena did, but really did not, "so should I pass along a message for Mr. Duval that you called?"

Kostas sighed.

"I guess that will have to do for now," he said, "to be truthful, I am most unhappy with the way this particular transaction has gone down. It was supposed to have been shipped overseas to my compound months ago."

Elena felt uneasy about where the conversation was going.

"I'll pass that message along," she said, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, that's fine, you've been very helpful," Kostas said, "but if you can assist me, I'll be sure to contact you again."

He hung up the phone on his end and Elena stared at her own, puzzled.

* * *

Rhonda and Chris drank their usual coffee at the café close to Houston Enterprises.

"So what did Mr. G-Man say," Rhonda asked.

"Just a bunch of questions," Chris said, "I think that the FBI is still more interested in going after Matt than any of the bad guys out there."

Fran sipped her tea.

"Weren't they asking about Scott at all?"

Chris shrugged.

"A few questions, but I admit that I got frustrated with them still acting like he's pure as the driven snow," she said, "I know they're not thinking like that but it's like go and arrest him already."

"We know they can't," Rhonda said, "Not right now."

"Is that what Jonathan told you during one of your lunch dates," Frank asked.

Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"They're not dates," she said, "I'm just doing it to see what kind of information I can get out of him."

Fran chuckled.

"Good luck, that guy keeps everything so close to his chest," she said, "You don't have to know him well to realize that."

"True," Rhonda agreed.

"I just think that Scott needs to pay for what he did to C.J.," Chris said, "and we're still trying to get into his files to find out if he has any connections with Andre since that fiasco in Boston years ago."

"How's your roadie friend doing," Fran said.

Rhonda shrugged.

"He's working as fast as he can on it," she said, "but he's not really getting anywhere."

Chris looked at both of them.

"Scott's not stupid," she said.

"He's not all that smart either," Rhonda retorted.

"He's staying just far enough ahead of the feds to keep out of hot water," Chris countered.

"They'll get him," Rhonda said, "I know Jonathan wants him."

"And I still believe he's been in touch with Andre," Chris said, "if only we could find out for sure."

"A big shot like Andre won't give little old Scott the time of day unless Scott has something he wants," Rhonda said, "That's how it always works with these things."

Chris brightened.

"That's right," she said, "and in this case all Andre really wants is to find out where C.J.'s hiding."

"We don't know the answer to that," Fran said, "so it's doubtful that Scott would."

"But Scott doesn't know that we're just as much in the dark as he is," Chris reasoned, "We could use that to our advantage."

"We have to figure out how," Rhonda said, "That's why I suggested bringing Jonathan into this."

Chris shook her head.

"He'll just go back to his boss," she said, "He has no choice. He couldn't help us even if he wanted to do so."

* * *

"C.J. do you love me?"

She turned around on the dock to face Jonathan who looked at her hurt. Not knowing what to say to him, she turned back to look out into the bay.

"I'll take it that's a no?"

She sighed and looked at him.

"I do care about you a great deal and I love you," she said.

"But you're not in love with me," he interjected angrily.

She paused and then nodded slowly.

Jonathan began pacing.

"What brought this on," he said, "Is this just something you've figured out or just decided?"

She turned away from him. He moved closer to her.

"Is there someone else," he said, "It it Matt?"

She flinched when she heard his name and spun around to look at Jonathan.

"Houston's got nothing to do with it," she said, "We're best friends and nothing more."

"Somehow I doubt that," he said.

She looked at him and sighed.

"I always told you as many times as I'm going to," she said, "that I'm not in love with him."

Jonathan sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"But you're not in love with me," he said.

She shook her head.

"I care about you as a friend," she said, "I thought there would be more to it than that but I was wrong."

"Was I wrong for believing the same?"

She reached out to touch his arm then stopped herself.

"No, you weren't," she said, "but it's wrong to pretend that there's something more to what we have than is really there."

Jonathan resumed pacing then stopped.

"This all started after you and Matt went to L.A.," he said, "What happened there?"

"Nothing," she said, quickly, "I had a conversation with a colleague of mine, a friend, and she reminded me of something about myself."

He folded his arms.

"And what is that," he asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"I have to be honest with myself," she said, "and being honest means being on my own for a while."

"Is this coming from one of your ball buster lawyer friends that you hang out with," Jonathan said.

C.J.'s eyes flashed.

"They're not ball busters," she said, "but they are women who have legal careers and how dare you call them that."

He relented.

"Okay, I'm sorry, but this is just so sudden," he said, "I just got back from a grueling training course at the FBI Academy and now you're dumping this on me."

Her eyes looked sad.

"That wasn't my intention and I know the timing's bad," she said, "but my conversation with my friend really hit home for me. I'm just not ready for a relationship right now. I want to focus on my career that's just getting started."

"Who is this 'friend'?"

C.J. sighed.

"You don't know her," she said, "She works on the other side in the D.A.'s office."

"Hanging out with the enemy," Jonathan said, without mirth.

"My career is really taking off and I have to focus on that," she said.

"So's mine but you don't see me throwing out my relationship," Jonathan said.

C.J. looked at him for a moment.

"I'm sorry, but this is just the way it has to be," she said, "Hopefully some day you can accept it."

* * *

Jonathan sighed at his desk. At the time C.J. had broken off their relationship, he really had believed that Matt had a role to play in it. It took a long time to shake off that certainty that he had lost the woman he loved to her best friend but eventually, with time and some painful introspection, he had realized that she had been right. Neither of them were ready to commit much energy and time into a relationship during a period in their lives when their careers were taking them in exciting but very different directions.

Their paths had crossed throughout the years and they remained cordial and friendly. He had always told her that if she ever needed his help, he would be there. Still, he was very surprised when he picked up the phone late one night to discover that she had taken him up on it.

Brad stuck his head in.

"What is it," Jonathan asked.

"Chad's coming in," Brad said, "He just got briefed by Denton and he wants to talk to you."

"Tell him to come on in," Jonathan said, stacking the papers on his desk.

Chad walked in and looked around, before sitting down across from Jonathan.

"I just got off the phone with Agt. Denton," he said, "He just got done interviewing some of Matt Houston's employees."

Jonathan nodded.

"I know Chris was one of them," he said, "Probably the most adamant about the involvement of Scott in this whole mess."

"We've still got nothing concrete on that slippery bastard," Chad said.

Jonathan looked up, surprised.

"So you finally think he's guilty of something," he said.

"I always did," Chad said, "But federal agents are only allowed to make crazy accusations and point fingers on television shows."

Jonathan ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't think most people realize how much more complicated real life is when it comes to investigating and solving these cases," he said.

"We really need to talk to Ms Parsons," Chad said, "Any chance of that happening?"

Jonathan shook his head.

"Matt won't change his mind," he said, "and she trusts him more than she trusts anyone."

"We've had no luck in tracking him down so far," Chad grumbled.

"Then again, there's been no serious attempts on C.J.'s life since she's been with him," Jonathan reasoned, "Our record can't match that."

Chad sighed.

"Their luck, and luck's what it is, won't hold out forever," Chad said, "Andre or his men will find them and with this other trafficker in the mix, could be sooner rather than later."

Jonathan shook his head.

"I think wherever they are, they're doing okay."

* * *

C.J. swam through the warm currents of the ocean, until her head broke through the surface of the water. She looked around her and headed in toward shore, keeping her head above water as her arms stroked cleanly through the surf.

"I'll race you," Matt said, sounding like he was to her left.

"Yeah right," she said, as she sped up her tempo until she caught a wave to carry her in. She landed on the wet sand, with water swishing all around her and stood up. She looked behind her to see Matt riding a wave in. She jumped up and down.

"I beat you," she said, "All those years ocean swimming hadn't gone to waste."

"You beat me to the better wave," he said, "but I was gaining with each stroke."

She looked at him, sideways.

"You sure looked good out there," she said, "what little I was able to see of course."

He nodded.

"Uh huh," he said, "I'll race you to the lunch box."

They both took off and when she threatened to pass him, he grabbed her by the waist and they both tumbled down onto the sand.

"Sorry about that," he said, his face inches away from hers, "I must have tripped over my feet."

She gazed at him.

"Likely story," she said, grinning.

He hesitated, stroking her bangs off of her face.

"Does this bother you," he asked.

She narrowed her eyes then she understood.

"No, it doesn't," she said, softly, "I feel safe with you."

"I'm glad," he said, "I don't want to do anything that's going to bring back bad memories."

She sat up.

"I know you," she said, "You've always taken good care of me even when I haven't asked."

"It's nothing that you haven't done for me," he reminded her, "I'm very glad we're best friends."

She smiled.

"Me too," she said, "Especially now, more than you know."

He stood up and reached for her hand with his own.

"Lunch awaits," he said.

She took his hand and followed him to the box where sandwiches and juice were packed away. He tossed her a mango.

"This brings back so many memories when we were younger," she said, "Remember how we used to spend weekends together when we were in college?"

He nodded.

"And then later when I had leave from the armed services and you were at Harvard," he said.

She grew silent.

"Remember Malibu?"

His eyes widened a bit.

"Yeah, I bought a nice house there," he said.

She shook her head.

"No when we were younger," she said, "I was still with Jonathan and you were…"

"A bit adrift as I recall," he said.

She looked down at her hands.

"Were you upset when I made that pass at you?"

He looked surprised at first, and then he smiled.

"I wasn't upset at all," he said, "just a little surprised."

Her brow raised.

"A little?"

"Very surprised," Matt said, "But not in a bad way."

"I didn't plan it," she said, "It just happened."

"It just happened with both of us," Matt said, "I wasn't telling you to stop."

She frowned.

"No I did that," she said, "at probably just the right time before we could go any further."

"Maybe."

"No Houston, I had to stop it. I was in a relationship with a man I cared about. I wasn't in love with him, but that still doesn't make it right."

Matt took a long look at her.

"Is that what this is really all about?"

She bit her lip, and looked conflicted.

"I don't know," she said, "It doesn't matter now."

"Why are you bringing it up," he asked, gently.

She seemed taken aback by his demeanor.

"Because I wondered about it, whether I did it because I really did have deeper feelings for you," she said, "but I'm glad it didn't hurt our friendship."

"Nothing would ever do that, C.J.," he said, "I don't regret what we did and maybe I didn't read it as the same disaster you did."

She saw something she didn't expect to see on his face, a trace of hurt and she felt ashamed of her words.

"It wasn't a disaster," she said, "I guess I was just afraid of where it would take us."

He caressed her face.

"There's nothing wrong with admitting that," he said, "I've been down there a time or two."

Her eyes widened in what looked like skeptism.

"No I have," Matt said, "and sometimes it comes down to the realization that the timing's not right."

She nodded.

"I agree," she said.

"But that doesn't have anything to do about feelings," he said. "what we feel for one another."

She looked up.

"I can't feel anything anymore," she said, putting her hands over her face, "that part of me is gone."

He removed both of them and rubbed them with his own.

"Yes you can and you do," he said, "or we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

She softened a bit, but then her eyes changed again and she shook her head.

"I'm not that woman anymore," she said, "and I don't think I ever will be."

She stood up and walked away before he could see her tears.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55---the latest installment of this story. I hope you like it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

C.J. looked down at the river that snaked through the arroyo below and marveled in the lush greenness which outlined its path. She looked to see if she could spot him hiking on one of the trails which switch backed up the side of the mountain. She took her apple out of her pocket and bit into it, pursing her lips briefly at its sourness until its sweet tang filled her mouth. He had left angry with her that she had kicked him out of his deck chair and out to do exactly what the doctor had ordered him to which was to keep up an exercise regime.

He didn't tell her much about the mission that had rendered him weak from a frightening bout of vertigo and she knew that part of the reason reflected his loyalty to the military code of conduct. But there was more to it than that that kept him quiet. She hadn't wanted him to break away from the civilian life to do that covert operation but she knew no argument she could possibly raise could dissuade him so she did what she always did, told him to be careful and kissed him on the cheek goodbye. Only this time his mission hadn't ended well and had left him to recover from it. He had put up his usual fight against her attempts to get him to move forward in his own healing.

"Damn it, C.J.," he said, earlier this morning, "I'm not moving from this chair."

She put her hands on her hips and her hazel eyes flashed.

"Oh yes you are," she said, "If I have to drag you up and down that damn canyon myself, you are going on that hike. The doctor says you have to allow your body a chance to compensate for what's missing until you get it back."

"There's nothing missing except my balance," he said.

"Exactly," she shot back, "and you have to give your body a chance to make up for that while it heals."

"It's not going to heal," he said.

"It won't with that kind of attitude," she said, "It won't if you sit there and feel sorry for yourself all day."

"It's my day," he said, "to spend how I want."

"It's a beautiful day," she said, "and you're sitting here alive to see it and that's what really matters."

He caught the emotion in her voice which she tried to hide but he remained stubborn, not willing to give in to her argument. So he searched for excuses instead.

"If I stand up too long and try to walk, I'll fall over into the damn canyon," he said.

"If you do, you'll get yourself back up again and climb right out of it," she said, simply, "You always do, Houston.

He looked in her eyes and only saw resolve there. She meant what she said about getting him out of his chair. C.J. didn't make promises she didn't follow through on, not in all the years that he knew her.

"This is different," he said.

"How so," she asked, putting her hands on her hips again.

"It just is," he insisted.

"I'll tell you 'what is'," she said, "You don't get up right now and start walking, I'll make you do it."

"I'd like to see you try," he challenged her.

She didn't look away from him.

"I will," she said, "I'll give you to the count of ten."

"C.J., we're not kids anymore," he said.

"One….two…."

* * *

Matt looked out at the ocean, a smile on his face as he remembered that day. She had succeeded at getting him out of his deck chair and down the mountain trail. And he had spent the next two hours struggling at first going up and down each switchback but soon enough, the natural beauty of his surroundings drew him into its spell and by the hike's end, he felt better for the first time since he had been released from the hospital. She had been waiting for him with some cold juice and some words of praise for a job well done. He had hugged her instead, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent and felt her relax against him to give him at that moment what he so desperately needed.

He had recovered from that setback in a life that had seen quite a few of them with his best friend at his side. Just as he had tried to be there for her when she waged her own battles with adversity and fate. His one regret was that during this last ordeal, he hadn't been there when she needed him but he realized that he had his own life issues to come to terms with including his aborted wedding to Elizabeth and with time and introspection, he had done that. He had walked out of that experience whole, but C.J. still struggled to reach that same place from her own ordeal. He knew the day would come when she would like he did but now it was his turn to convince her of that.

He didn't hear her approach him but he sensed her return.

"Hey look, I'm sorry I walked away like that," she said as she stood next to him.

He sighed and looked at her. She had been crying earlier, he saw the remnants of that on her face but she smiled at him now.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, C.J.," he said, softly.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me," she said, "I really feel better most days but sometimes…"

"You feel like you're back where you started," he finished.

She looked at him, surprised then nodded.

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to explain it," she said.

He looked at her a moment, putting his thoughts into words.

"I was just thinking about that trip to the cabin we took when I had that bout with vertigo," he said.

She nodded again.

"I remember," she said, "You were really something, hiking up and down that canyon every day."

He sighed.

"As I remember it, I was very difficult to deal with," he said, "I'm sorry that I put you through all that."

She shrugged.

"I don't really remember that part," she said, "It doesn't matter anyhow."

"But I was pretty awful…"

She turned around to face him, her eyes warm.

"Houston, you were hurting," she said, "and you didn't know then that things would get better, that you would heal up and be ready to go out and do it all over again."

"You told me that I would every day," he said, "I should have believed in that."

"But you had to find out for yourself," she said, "No one could do that for you. I really wanted to be that person but I couldn't. That was partly my fault to believe that."

He shook his head.

"No, it wasn't," he said, "Everything you said to me did get through my thick skull and it made a difference. I just didn't act like it."

"Like I said, you were in a difficult place," she said, "and you got out of it."

He gazed at her thoughtfully.

"You will too," he said, "and I will do for you what you did for me."

"Houston…"

"You're stronger than you think," he said, "and you are still in there. You just have to find your own way like I did."

She nodded.

"I know what you're saying," she said, with a bit of a laugh," I said it to you enough times, but…"

"It's harder to believe yourself than it is to say so to someone else."

"Yeah, that," she said, "but it would be a lot harder if you weren't here."

"I'll always be here," he said, "as long as you need me."

Her eyes brimmed with tears again.

"Thank you for that," she said, "and thank you for looking for me once you did know."

He looked away, back out into the ocean.

"I should have started earlier," he said.

She grabbed his arm in her own and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You couldn't have known," she said, "and you did come. We're together right now and that counts for everything."

* * *

Jonathan sat with Rhonda in the Tex-Mex restaurant that they had finally ventured to after eating numerous takeout from that establishment in his office. Rhonda finally shamed him into stepping out into the outside world for lunch enough for him to take the leap and sign himself out on a lunch break.

"See, it's so much better to actually sit down and eat at the restaurant," she said, "The food tastes so much better."

He couldn't argue with that as he dipped his fork into his pollo and frijoles dish.

"You're right," he finally said, "I don't get out of the office enough. It just seems that lunch is the busiest time of the work day."

"I can relate to that," she said, "The only reason I started eating out for lunch at my latest gig is because Fran insists that I do it."

Jonathan smiled despite himself.

"Oh she did," he said, "how difficult was that?"

Rhonda snorted.

"Very difficult at first," she said, "But I got used to it. Sometimes I meet up with Chris on her lunch break but she had that interview with that FBI guy."

Jonathan nodded.

"You mean Agt. Denton."

Rhonda caught the tone in his voice.

"You don't seem to like him very much, do you?"

Jonathan shrugged.

"He's a very professional agent, absolutely top of the line," he said, "But he's an even bigger bureaucrat than I am and that gets to me sometimes."

"Like now," she said, "with this case involving C.J.?"

He paused.

"It's bound to be difficult being involved in a case that focuses on your ex-girlfriend."

He bristled.

"Our relationship was over and done with years ago," he said, "We're not personally involved anymore."

She looked at him and saw different emotions battling for control of his face.

"Did Matt come between you," she asked.

He remained silent for a while and she wondered if he had heard her question. Finally he looked up at her.

"No, he didn't," he said, "I let him come between us."

Rhonda looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I thought that there was something between the two of them for a long time," Jonathan said, "but I realized after our relationship was over, that wasn't the case."

She searched his face.

"Do you have any regrets about it?"

He thought about it then shook his head.

"I did for a while," he said, "but she was right, it wouldn't have worked out between us. We're so different."

"You met her the night that you both got caught up in Scott's mess with Andre Duval, didn't you?"

"Yeah, not exactly the most promising start of a relationship," he said, "That wasn't her fault. Her friend Julia left a lot of information out when she called to be picked up that night."

"That must have been rough," Rhonda said.

"Andre was determined and he had no mercy," Jonathan said, "C.J. ended up saving our lives in the fire that was set mostly likely by men working for his real father."

"The terrorist, right?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Marquis Duval, Sr. himself," he said, "He sent them to Boston to clean up his son's mess."

"Do you think Marquis is still helping his son now," she asked.

He looked at her, suddenly.

"I mean it would make sense since the weapons traced back to his terrorist cell," Rhonda continued.

"He probably is helping him," he said, "though we don't know to what degree. Marquis, Sr. is a very ill man. He's not expected to live much longer."

"Well what would make more sense then," Rhonda reasoned, "that the father would use every bit of time left, every ounce of his strength to save his son so he can continue the family legacy?"

Jonathan listened to her words and then he nodded.

* * *

Chris went into the break room to get some tea. She usually drank coffee but she had felt on edge since her interview with Denton and she needed to relax in order to focus on plowing through boxes of tax records. Murray had dropped some more work on her that morning, saying that she still had to report to Scott for further direction. At the mention of that name, Chris made a face.

She boiled some water in the microwave and then placed her tea bag in the water to steep for a while. Thinking back to that interview, she thought in retrospect it could have gone better but she had been totally unprepared to face federal law enforcement agents and even less so, when she realized they still acted like Andre and Scott were saints and Matt was the fugitive from justice. How unfair was that, she steamed.

"Chris, I see you're taking a break," a voice said.

She made a face again then looked up at Scott who poured himself some coffee.

"I'm on my ten," she said, "You have an issue with that, take it up with the boss."

Scott laughed.

"He's not exactly been around lately," he said.

"Murray's acting president," Chris corrected, "That's who I meant."

Scott poured some cream in his mug.

"I'm not implying you're flouting your work responsibilities," he said, "In fact, you're probably working too hard these days."

Suspicion filled her stomach.

"What do you mean working too hard?"

He smiled.

"Only that you could probably use a day or so off," he said, "I'm sure your fiancé would appreciate seeing more of you."

She put down her tea.

"Leave him out of it," she said, "What are you really after here, Scott?"

He put his hands up.

"Don't get so defensive," he said, "Maybe you need to take more than a couple days off to resolve that stress that's got you on edge."

She folded her arms.

"The only thing that would remedy that is if you left," she said.

"You know I can't do that," Scott said, "Matt's depending on me."

She threw up her hands.

"Why do you remain so deluded about your relationship with him," she said, "Matt punched you out the last time he saw you. If he were in the room, he'd do it again or worse given that he probably knows that you're responsible for what happened to his best friend."

Scott shook his head.

"I did no such thing," he said, "and how many times can I tell you that the altercation with Matt was based on a misunderstanding. A miscommunication, you can call it."

"I don't think your past history, your so-called friendship with him is going to help you, let alone save you when he does come back," Chris said.

"When do you think that will be," Scott said, "Of course it would depend on where he's hanging his hat these days."

"No one knows where he is or when he's coming back," Chris said, "But when he does, he'll take care of you."

"Chris, be reasonable," Scott said, apparently not flustered, "We don't know if he's even coming back."

"He will," she said, "Both he and C.J. will return when it's safe for them to do so and then you'll have to pay the consequences for your actions."

Scott chuckled.

"Based on what," he said, "Based on what C.J. said or thinks? She's always been jealous of what I have. She didn't come from money like Matt and I did and you know how that goes…"

Chris folded her arms.

"No explain it to me," she said, "seeing as how I wasn't raised with a silver spoon in my mouth either."

"Well Chris, some of us were just luckier than others and others just want what we have," he said, "and C.J. didn't have a lot of money and I think she felt a certain amount of resentment for those of us who did."

"Including you," Chris finished, "Boy you really are full of yourself. Why can't you just accept the fact that she probably didn't like you because she figured out who you really are before anyone else did?"

"That's not true…"

She shrugged.

"At least Matt figured it out," she said, "probably at the point just before he knocked your lights out."

"Chris…"

"And you know what even if I did know where he and C.J. were," she said, "You would be the last person I would tell."

"Does that mean…"

She shook her head.

"You really are a piece of work."

She took one look at him and walked out of the office.

* * *

Scott watched Chris leave the office and then his smile disappeared. Damn that woman, trying to play with his head like that. Her words had sunk deeper into him than he let on but he needed to shake it off if he were going to stay in the game. Andre hadn't returned his phone call or his assistant hadn't bothered to pass along the message to him that Scott had called.

He thought back to that vision he had seen of Julia who had been dead and buried for him longer than in reality. Surely, that couldn't have been here reproaching him for his recent actions but if it wasn't her, why mention a baby? As far as he knew, she hadn't been pregnant, but he had cut out on her pretty fast that last time. Simply to save his own skin from Andre's wrath of course. Who could blame a man for choosing his own life over a woman?

He paced the break room trying to figure out what to do next but his mind remained frantic at trying to come up with different plans only to discard them. He knew his only chance of avoiding getting caught up by the feds was to get help from Andre, yet if he turned states evidence…

No if he did that, he'd be dead and there would be no way to stop it. And knowing Andre, his death would come at the hands of one of the federal agents assigned to protect him as a witness.

He kept pacing until finally it came to him. He ran his hand through his hair, as he tried to remember the contact information for someone inside Andre's operation who might be able to help him or at least provide him with information. Yes, if he could remember how to get in touch with this person, then that might at least buy him some time. With some sense of resolve, Scott left the break room and walked back to his office.

* * *

C.J. sat on the patio outside the local restaurant where many of the law students attending Harvard University gravitated to whether to study or just grab a quick bite to eat. She had brought her books, her note cards and even her highlighter pen but couldn't concentrate. Julia had sat down and joined her but when C.J. tried to get her to order a bite to eat, she demurred saying she wasn't hungry. C.J. noticed that Julia had lost some weight since the night of the fire. She had lost enough weight so that her now-angular frame showed through her clothing.

"Hey C.J. I know you mean well, but I'm not very hungry," Julia said.

C.J. looked up from her books and studied her friend.

"Julia, I'm worried about you," she said, "You don't look well and you've lost weight. Just eat a few bites of my meal and I'll leave you alone for a while."

Julia smiled but it didn't light up her face. Nothing much did these days.

"I'm really not hungry," she said, "I've been sick lately."

"You've been a bathroom hog I've noticed," C.J. said, smiling.

"I'm sorry about that," Julia said.

"Does this have anything to do with Scott," C.J. said, "because he's not worth it Julia after what he did. And he's always avoiding us."

"He's just busy with studying for finals like we are," Julia protested.

C.J.'s eyes lit up.

"Don't you dare defend him Julia," she said, "after what we went through because of him. I'm never going to forgive him for what he nearly made me do."

Julia looked up temporarily forgetting her own problems.

"What…"

C.J. shook her head.

"Never mind," she said, closing herself off again.

Julia rolled her eyes.

"There you go again," she said, "What is it that you're not telling me?"

C.J. looked away.

"It's nothing," she said, "but Julia, you've lost so much weight, you've been sick, you've missed classes…"

Julia looked up, smiling weakly.

"I know," she said, "and I know you're right about Scott. But I can't hate him, I just can't…Because…"

C.J. folded her arms.

"Because, what," she said, "Don't tell me you're still in love with him."

Julia's eyes watered.

"It's not that easy C.J.," she said, "and it's not what you think."

"Then what is it?"

Julia looked down at her hands and then looked back up at her close friend. C.J.'s heart froze at what she saw there.

"Julia, whatever it is, you can tell me."

So Julia did. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, the words spilled out.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

C.J. remembered her best friend at that moment, not sure why she came to mind. Matt still stood next to her, stalwart as always when she needed him. She leaned closer into him and he had put his arm around her and drew her into his pool of strength.

"Whatcha thinking about," he asked her finally.

She sighed.

"I was thinking about Julia," she said, "The day she told me she was pregnant."

"With Scott's baby," Matt said, "and him nowhere to be found."

C.J. nodded.

"She was sick then too but she didn't know it," she said, "She had to face so much heartbreak during those months. I can't even imagine what she had to go through."

"She had you with her," Matt said, "That must have helped."

"But to be in that situation," she said, "Alone and pregnant and then facing what turned out to be a terminal illness."

"She was a very nice girl," Matt said, "It's too bad about what life threw at her."

"She thought that the sickness was her punishment for the pregnancy and considering an abortion," she said, "Nothing I said would convince her otherwise."

"That's a very difficult situation she was in," Matt said, "and Scott should have done the responsible thing and been there with her."

C.J. grew thoughtful.

"Like you would have done," she said.

He looked at her.

"I was never in Scott's situation," Matt said, "but it takes two people to start a pregnancy and the man's role isn't to run off when things get tough."

"He didn't stick around even to find out about what would have caused him to run," she said.

"It doesn't matter," Matt said, "You don't run away from life's difficult situations. You face them head on. And if I had known what Scott had done to Julia, I'd have hit him a lot harder than I did."

C.J. smiled, loving him for that.

"I'm sure Julia would appreciate that," she said, "She always liked you a lot. She had certain ideas about you."

"Like what?"

C.J. paused.

"That you wore your heart on your sleeve and that you'd do anything to protect those who you really cared about," she said, "She also told me I shouldn't keep any secrets from you but I did."

He squeezed her closer.

"You did what you thought you needed to do," he said, "Don't second-guess yourself now."

C.J. didn't add that her friend, Julia had always told her and often teased her that her best friend's feelings ran deeper for her than she knew, or he knew or would ever admit to himself. After all, as Julia said, he did wear his heart on his sleeve.

Instead, she just smiled as Matt drew her into his arms and held her close as they both looked out across the ocean into the horizon.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56---Another installment of this really, really long fan fiction. I hope you like it and thanks for reading and for the feedback! I appreciate it.

* * *

Antonio looked at the group of men and one woman who stood before him on the beach.

"All right, I think today we're going to try hiking that mountain again," he said.

A couple of groans filled the still morning air.

"We did that yesterday," Brady said, "and my legs still feel like rubber."

Antonio shook his head.

"Come on, you signed on for this mission to infiltrate Andre Duval's compound," he said, "It's going to be very difficult. Much more than I believe most of you think."

C.J. dressed in sweats and a cap on her head looked at Antonio and accepted his challenge.

"I'm up for it," she said, "I'd like to make a better time on the ascent than last time."

The other men looked at her and then one by one nodded not about to be outdone by a woman.

"Okay, but if I pass out, don't just leave me for the wild boars to eat," Brady said.

"We'll use you as bait and bring the biggest one back to the camp and have a roast," Zeke said.

Brady nodded after giving it some thought.

"That might work," he said, "as long as you don't let him get too close."

"Can't promise that," Zeke said, waving his hands, "Sacrifices might have to be made."

C.J. and Matt listened to their friends' good natured banter, knowing that the bond between them ran deep enough so that they never truly offended each other. They had saved each others' lives too many times to count, enough times to keep the banter flowing.

"It's been so wonderful to match the faces with the characters that Too-Mean used to talk about," C.J. said, "I just wish the circumstances had been different."

"I wish Too-Mean were here with us," Matt said, "back running around with his old gang."

C.J. nodded.

Antonio walked up to them.

"I think it's a good day to try that summit again," he said, "not too hot."

C.J. looked at it.

"I enjoyed climbing it," she said, "I don't have to think too much about except where the next foothold is or where to put my hand."

"That's necessary in this kind of climbing," Antonio agreed, "One wrong decision…"

C.J. laughed.

"And it's a long way down."

"You've got talent at it," Antonio said, "and your focus is excellent. You shouldn't have any problems."

She brightened and Matt raised his brow.

"She's always been a great women who's deeply focused in what she's doing and what lies ahead," he said, "That's what made her a great partner these past years."

She rubbed Matt's shoulder and he enjoyed the contact.

"I had a great teacher," she said, "The best."

Antonio focused his gaze on her, in a way which might have made her uneasy but she knew where his thoughts lie.

"What is it, Antonio," she asked.

"I was thinking of Sierra," he said, "and how you knew her name."

C.J. shrugged.

"I don't know how I knew," she said, "She appeared in a dream or two, that's all."

"But you must have heard her name somewhere," he said.

"It must have been when I was held captive and I just don't remember," she said, "Like I said, I have some missing time."

Matt looked at Antonio.

"She doesn't know why she remembers your sister," he said, "Why is it so important that she remember?"

Antonio bristled a bit under his calm demeanor.

"It's not critical but it makes me curious," he said, "I know my sister is dead at Andre's hand but I don't know much about her life there, what happened."

C.J. threw him a hard look.

"You don't want to know," she said, "There's so much I wish I didn't remember."

"But you do," Antonio countered, "and you always will. The rest of it might come back someday as well, maybe when you least expect it."

C.J. nodded.

"I have no control over my memories," she said, "Especially at night when I'm asleep. Sometimes I feel like I'm back there."

"You remembered me," Antonio said, folding his arms.

She looked at him.

"Only when you first took me to my cell," she said, "Nothing more than that."

Matt stepped forward.

"What is the point of all this," he said, "She's been through enough without having it drudged back up."

Antonio didn't move a muscle on his face.

"It might make all the difference," he said, "if we're to get in that compound, do what we came for and escape with our lives intact."

"What do you mean," C.J. asked.

"You might know things, or remember them about Andre and some who worked with him in ways none of us do, including myself," Antonio said, "You might be counted on to recall any information you remember from your captivity and your escape that could help us pull this operation off."

"She can't remember more than she already does," Matt said.

She put a hand on his shoulder.

"I can try if it makes that much difference in success or failure," she said, "We've all got to do our part and that might be part of my role."

He looked at her, uncertainty in his eyes.

"I just don't want you to be hurt," he said.

She looked back at him, trying to reassure him with a glance.

"I know."

* * *

Matt and C.J. cleaned up after the party that had been held to welcome C.J. back from her ill-fated road trip through the deserts of Arizona to Santa Fe, New Mexico to conduct business. She had been involved in that car accident and wound up inside a prostitution ring that Matt had to spring her from. After they returned back to L.A., he threw a dinner party for her in celebration but at the time, she hadn't felt much like it but acted as if she did, out of respect for him and her friends. Although once she had come out of hiding on the helicopter pad, she had enjoyed herself at least a little bit.

"That blonde lady really seemed to like you," C.J. said, while picking up some of the wine glasses and putting them on a tray to be taken to the kitchen.

"Whatever we had is over now," Matt said, "Before it even began."

She tilted her head.

"I'm sorry about that," she said, "It always seems like our work interferes with relationships doesn't it?"

He had been moving some of the cushions back to their proper places on the sofa but when she said those words, he faced her.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he said, "We were trying to combine business with pleasure and you know how that goes."

She smiled.

"It never works," she said, "but why don't you give her a call now that you're done rescuing me."

"It wouldn't be the same," Matt said, "The feelings kind of passed with the opportunity."

"You could try again..."

He shook his head.

"If she couldn't understand why I left for Phoenix as quickly as I did, then there's nothing to build a relationship on."

She reached out and hugged him. He embraced her back, inhaling in the scent of her perfume. She pulled away and looked at him.

"Thank you for coming for me," she said, "I'm sorry if I gave you the impression on the helipad that I wasn't grateful."

He stroked her hair off her face.

"C.J., I should have been more understanding of how you must feel going through an experience like that," he said, "I'm sorry if I seemed to dismiss it."

She shook her head.

"You didn't," she said, "I just felt so happy to be back home again yet I felt a bit selfish for feeling that way when other women…"

"The ones who were found in the desert," he finished.

"Yes, them and even those who survived but didn't have any place to go," she said, "I know I was very lucky but I just wish that every woman could have that."

Matt saw an emotion in his friend's eyes he couldn't take away but he tried the best he could anyway.

"Those men are going away for a long time," he said, "They'll never be able to victimize any more women."

"I hope that's true," she said, "But these were people who were supposed to be working inside the justice system."

"They're not all bad," Matt said, "Just a few of them."

"I know," C.J. said, "but how long had Piser and Buntz been doing this before they got caught?"

Matt couldn't answer that.

"Probably too long," he said, "but they're in jail now."

"Because of you," she said.

* * *

Rhonda threw Chris a stunned look from across the table at their favorite sports bar where they sat and ate more chicken wings with Fran while Dan and Carlos stayed glued to the television set.

"You really said that to Scott," she said.

Chris nodded.

"He deserves it," she said, "He really believes that Matt punching his lights out was a spur of the moment deal."

"He'll find out differently when Matt comes back," Rhonda said, "Whenever that will be."

"I wish they'd come too," Chris said, "but we know why they can't."

Rhonda reached for another wing.

"I wish we knew some way to nail Scott," she said, "Jonathan knows he's guilty."

"I know he is," Chris said, "I always thought he had something to do with C.J.'s disappearance that night but when the feds interviewed me, I had nothing to back that up with, just a gut feeling."

"We've got to find proof," Fran said, pouring some more beer from the pitcher.

"Well Jonathan believes that Marquis Duval, Sr. was involved in her kidnapping," Rhonda said, "That surprised me."

"That he might be helping his son?"

Rhonda shook her head.

"No, no that he would be able to do it from prison," Rhonda said, "It's not surprising that he would at least try."

"It's practical," Fran said, "If you and the rest of your family were locked up in prison for the rest of your lives, wouldn't you hand off your operation to the one blood relative that's still on the outside?"

"Well yeah," Rhonda said, "Especially since the father's terminally ill and is going to die in prison soon."

Both Fran and Chris turned to look at her. Chris's eyes widened a bit.

"Marquis, Sr. is dying?"

Rhonda nodded.

"That's what Jonathan said," she said, "and that Marquis was the one who engineered some coverup of Andre's activities in Boston years ago."

"What kind of activities?"

"Something to do with Jonathan and C.J."

"Yeah, I heard about that," Chris said, nodding, "Andre went after them because of something Scott stole from him."

"What a piece of work that man is," Fran said in disgust, "I'd like to nail his butt to the wall."

"Get in line," Chris said, "but we still can't get through the encryption on that disk that Kyra got and he's still sitting pretty on his line that he has nothing to do with anything that happened to C.J."

Rhonda rubbed her forehead.

"I thought Scott was beginning to lose it," she said.

Chris looked up and smiled.

"Oh he is," she said, "But he's got a ways to go before he does us any good."

"We've got to speed it up," Rhonda said, "I wish we knew how."

"The best thing would be to imply that we know where Matt and C.J. are hiding," Chris said, "and then watch him try to use whatever information we allow him to get out of us as a bargaining chip with Andre."

Rhonda nodded.

"I'm impressed," she said, "That sounds like a plan."

"I think it's the only chance to link the two men together," Chris said, "The question is, how do we go about doing this?"

* * *

Scott dialed his cell phone from a café and waited for a response. He heard it ring several times and then someone picked up.

"Who is this," a male voice answered.

"It's me, Scott Prescow."

Scott heard swearing on the other end.

"You're not supposed to call this number," the voice said.

"I know I promised to sever all ties with Mr. Duval when he received…what he wanted but this is very important."

"What could be so important coming from you that would warrant his concern?"

Scott thought fast, thinking the man would hang up if he didn't come up with something extremely useful.

"What is it," the man pressed again.

"I…I think I might be able to find out where Ms Parsons is hiding out," Scott said, "Would that interest your boss?"

The man paused.

"Maybe…do you have more information?"

"I have some…," Scott said, "I should be able to find out an exact location soon."

"If you can do that, perhaps Mr. Duval can find time in his busy schedule to contact you."

"Oh I'm sure he'll be interested in doing so once you pass along this message to him," Scott said, "If he's not interested, I could give her location to the other interested party."

"What do you mean," the man said, too quickly.

Scott pounced on the uncertainty he heard in the other man's voice.

"I know there's another party interested in her whereabouts out there," Scott said, "Perhaps if your boss isn't interested, I should contact him."

"I will take your message back to Mr. Duval to see if he's interested in contacting you," the man said, "That's all I can promise at this time. As to the other party…"

"Duval knows who I'm talking about," Scott said, "He will now know that I have that information."

"I see," the man said, "I'll talk to him and he may contact you if he chooses."

Scott clicked off the phone smiling. He had received his confirmation that Andre wasn't the only person interested in finding C.J. and he knew that his suspicions about who the other individual might be were probably on the money as well. But it didn't really matter whether or not he knew for sure who the other person out looking for C.J. was because he believed he had Andre exactly where he wanted him.

* * *

Andre picked up his phone on his private jet.

"This is Andre speaking," he said, "Why have you called me Jorge?"

Jorge hesitated.

"I received a phone call from Scott Prescow," he said, "He wishes to speak with you."

Andre sighed.

"I have no desire or need to speak with him," he said, "We conducted our business, he paid his debt and we went our separate ways."

"But he said he might know where the Parsons woman is," Jorge said, "That attracted my attention."

"How would he know this information," Andre said, "Who would tell him?"

"He didn't say," Jorge said, "He just said he could that information and give it to you."

"If that were true," Andre said, "Did he name his price?"

"He didn't say anything about it being a business deal."

"With men like Prescow, pampered businessmen with hearts like mercenaries, there is always a price," Andre said, "It's not worth paying out on whatever information he has about C.J. which is probably very little at that."

"He did say that if you weren't interested," Jorge said, "That he would contact the other party who was looking for her."

Andre paused.

"Did he say who that party is?"

"No boss, but we both know who he's talking about."

"That's exactly it, he might not know the identity of this interested individual," Andre said, "That's a very likely scenario."

"But what if he does and he hands her to this other individual," Jorge asked.

"Then that solves one problem caused by her escape," Andre said, "Is there anything else?"

"No, that's the only message I had to pass along," Jorge said, "So what do you want me to tell Prescow?"

"Nothing," Andre said, "Leave him to me."

* * *

C.J. descended down from the peak, feeling better than she had all morning. She loved rock climbing and this summit had proven to be one of her favorites. The men had struggled a bit except for Antonio, who climbed the rock face like a spider and slid down it like a snake. Matt handled it fairly well except for losing his grip on a key point on the ascent but then again, rock climbing was never his favorite sport.

She brushed off her hands after unfastening her harness.

"That was lovely," she said, "I'd like to do it again."

"You won't have to," Antonio said, "You did well enough the first time."

Brady and Zeke both heard those words as they came down the face a bit less than gracefully.

"Did I hear you right," Brady said, "We have to do this again?"

Antonio nodded.

"You two, yes," he said, "Matt and C.J., only if they want to."

C.J. already had made up her mind what she wanted to do.

Matt shook his head.

"No, I messed up at the top," he said, "I'm going back up until I get it right."

Antonio nodded approvingly.

"Wise choice," he said, "On the day of the operation, everything is going to be done perfectly without any mistakes and with impeccable timing, if we are to succeed."

Brady rolled his eyes. Antonio just gave him one of his steely gazes back.

"Or even if you want to live…"

Brady threw up his arms.

"Okay, we get it," he said, "We're going back up again. Just let me get some water first."

Antonio reached into his pack and threw Brady a fresh bottle. Brady opened it and drunk it down greedily.

C.J. got some water and handed it to Matt.

"You did really well up there," he told her.

She shrugged.

"I like it," she said, "The view's great up there."

"I can't argue with that," Matt said, "Especially compared to what's down below."

"You're not afraid of heights," she said, "only when you had that vertigo. It's not coming back is it?"

"No, I think you managed to chase it away permanently," he said, smiling, "But I've never been a great fan of being up in high places."

"I thought you meant figuratively speaking," she said, "not literally."

"I meant both," he said, "but the view over the island is enough to make me forget it."

"It is something," she agreed.

"This mission is very important and this is part of it," he said.

She looked at him.

"I just want you to be safe," she said, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

He caressed her face with his hand.

"Nothing's going to," he said, "Everything's going to go according to plan, once of course we figure out exactly what is the plan."

C.J. looked at Antonio.

"I know he has a definite idea of how to get in the compound," she said, "but he's going to need your help. You've got all the training and experience in the military like he did."

"It's your role that has me concerned," she said, "About trying to retrieve what you can't remember. Maybe there's a good reason why you can't remember everything."

She shrugged.

"Maybe," she said, "But if it's what is needed, then I'm going to have to try to think of everything that can help in this operation no matter what that means for me."

"C.J…"

She shook her head.

"No, you can't protect me from this," she said, "I want Andre to be stopped, I want Elena to be free to get to know her brother who's been searching so hard for you…"

Matt closed his eyes.

"We can do that other ways," he said, "safer ways."

She bit her lip.

"And I want to go home with you with our friends to live like we want," she said, "I want that so badly I ache. I don't want this life anymore. I want my own back."

He watched her fight the emotions on her face by smiling and he slowly nodded.

"Okay," he said, "but I want you to know, if you have to face what you remember, you won't be doing it alone."

She took his hand and they went back to put their harnesses back on to take their separate journeys up the face of the rock in front of them.

* * *

Jonathan sat in his office, doing more paperwork and trying not to remember that it had been a while since he had seen the outside of his office. He thought about leaving early, then looking at the stacks of folders on his desk, sighed instead.

Brad stuck his head in.

"There's some news that just came in," he said.

Jonathan felt like rolling his eyes but just glanced at the other agent.

"What's happened now?"

"We think we might have located where Matt and Ms Parsons have been hiding out," Brad said.

Jonathan raised his brows.

"How?"

"I don't know, but they're located in the Caribbean somewhere," Brad said, "Not sure where but that's probably the general area."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We could send out a dragnet," Brad said, "But we don't have enough of a definite location in such a large area."

"We should hold off on that for now," Jonathan said, "We need to focus on linking Scott Prescow and Andre Duval."

"Sir?"

"Why not focus on going after the bad guys for a change," Jonathan said, "and let Matt and C.J. stay safe where they are for now."

"If the FBI finds out what we did…"

Jonathan held up his hand.

"Then let's just delay the release of this information outside this agency for a while until we try to figure out how to start rounding up the bad guys?"

"I don't think they'll like that," Brad cautioned.

"They can't dislike what they don't know," Jonathan said, "All I'm asking for is a couple of days, maybe a week."

Brad nodded, knowing better not to argue with Jonathan. He left the office with Jonathan scratching his head, scrambling with thinking what to do with this borrowed time.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57--Here's another installment of this fanfiction story. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for reading my stories and for your comments!

* * *

Novelli greeted them when they came back, from where he sat on the porch with Bertha. Zeke and Brady looked a little worse for wear but they smiled as they saw the spread on the table. They picked up speed, hurrying to pick up their plates.

"Bertha, you and your meals are a sight for sore eyes," Brady sad.

He and Zeke took their plates and began scooping them with food. Matt and C.J. walked over to Novelli who watched the men with bemusement.

"Man, I miss the day of department picnics," Novelli said, smiling.

"Enough to go back," Matt asked.

Novelli flirted with the idea a little bit.

"No, retirement suits me," he said, "Especially when I have all this time for adventures like this one."

C.J. sat next to him.

"Your wife doesn't mind if you take off," she asked.

Novelli laughed.

"My mother minds and never lets me here the end of it," he said, "but my wife's cool with it. Besides, her sister's flying in to visit.

"Ah, more women leaving you feeling even more outnumbered," Matt said.

C.J. slapped him playfully.

"They must be having a lot of fun catching up," she said.

Novelli took a sip of his beer.

"They look forward to this time every year when they get together," he said, "My sons are out fishing with their uncle."

"That sounds like fun," Matt said.

"Well, I think it's great that the women folk can get around…"

"and talk about the men," Houston interrupted.

She stared at him, eyes raised.

"We don't spend most of our time talking about men," C.J. said.

Bertha agreed.

"We talk about recipes and the latest gossip," she said, "At least we did in the olden days."

Zeke looked at Bertha and laughed.

"No, I'm serious," Bertha said, "Back in the days when I didn't feel so outnumbered."

C.J. looked around.

"Yeah, there is a bit of a gender imbalance here," she said, "Maybe we should have a ladies' night out."

Bertha nodded.

"I think that would be great," she said, "We should give Serena a call and get some of the other local girls to join in."

"Wait a minute here," Zeke said, raising his hand, "We've got a major operation to plan here and you want to have a ladies' night out?"

Both C.J. and Bertha looked at each other and then him.

"Hell yeah," Bertha said, "It's always guys' night here and there's no question raised about priorities then."

"Huh, that's different," Brady said.

"Why," Bertha asked.

Brady stammered in the face of her stance. Matt suppressed a grin, knowing a losing battle when he saw one.

"It…just is," Brady said, looking for support.

The other men just threw up their hands.

"It sounds fair enough," Matt said, nodding, "I think the ladies should have their night out."

C.J. smiled at him.

"Thanks," she said, "and you can have another guys' night out without us getting in your way."

He studied her as he saw her mind switch into its planning mode. He knew the world or at least this corner of it had better watch out.

"I like you getting in my way."

She looked up at him in surprise.

"I hope you remember that the day after our night of female bonding," she said, laughing.

He nodded, an idea coming to mind.

* * *

Scott tapped his fingers on his desk, thinking hard as he had been all morning. Now that he knew that another party was interested in finding C.J., he realized that this provided him with an amazing opportunity to come out of this situation ahead. Was this interested party a customer of Andre's, or perhaps even a partner? He rubbed his hands together at the thought that perhaps the mysterious individual was the latter. Still he must not get too far ahead of himself.

Chris stuck her head in his office and made a face seeing there. She had hoped she could just drop this latest box of files given to her by Murray and run but instead, she looked right into his pompous face, the same one she had fantasized about drop kicking over a breakfast omelet this morning. He looked up with her, trying to cover his smirk with a smile.

"Forget it," she said, "I know you're not happy to see me but Murray gave these to me to drop them off."

"Tell Murray thanks, but my desk is getting quite full here," he said, not looking at her.

Chris dropped the box on his desk and it shook. He finally looked up.

"That's a big box," he said, "I thought the foundation's files were already sent off for inspection."

"They are," she said, "These are inhouse from the earlier days. I'm sure they'll ask for those next."

Scott nodded.

"Possibly," he said, "Anything's to be anticipated during a fishing expedition."

Chris shrugged.

"I know Matt's innocent," she said, "But maybe not everyone in this company is."

Scott smirked.

"Surely, you're not going to throw accusations my way again," he said.

To his surprise, Chris shook her head.

"No, I'm just thinking about something I'd heard," she said.

He looked up.

"What?"

She looked at him sideways.

"Something about Matt and C.J."

He acted nonchalant.

"Oh I'm sure it's just rumor," he said, "They've been gone for months."

She looked up at the ceiling.

"They might not be that far away."

He sat up straighter.

"How would you know," he asked.

She smiled inwardly, knowing she had him.

"Oh, I have my ways," she said, "Everyone thinks they've taken far off for parts unknown and are in some exotic country, but what if they were much closer?"

Scott frowned.

"You could have something there," he said, and then suspicion glinted in his eyes, "Why are you telling me this?"

She smiled and let him see it this time.

"Because the closer he is, the sooner he returns and gives you exactly what you deserve," she said.

"But he's got a warrant…"

"Now that's a misunderstanding," Chris said, "One that will be cleared up once he does come forward."

Scott leaned closer.

"He's coming forward?"

Chris shrugged.

"That would make the most sense wouldn't it," she said, "I mean no one can stay in hiding forever."

Scott nodded slowly. She knew his mind worked much faster.

"Yes it does make the most sense," he said, "Interesting should it end that way."

"Very interesting," Chris agreed, "But we still don't know where 'close by' is exactly."

"No, No…," Scott said, "But we could find out."

Chris nodded gravely.

"We could indeed," she said.

* * *

Jonathan grimaced as he sat in his office. He had bought Matt and C.J. a little time before the feds would start breathing down their necks but not much. And maybe less than that if Denton discovered their general location on his own. He rubbed the back of his neck, tempted once again to take the draft of the resignation letter out of his desk drawer but he managed to keep that urge at bay. He heard a knock on his door and looked up. Rhonda stood there carrying something in a bag that smelled tantalizing once it reached his nose.

"What'd you bring," he said.

She walked over and opened the bag in front of him. He inhaled and closed his eyes.

"You didn't," he said, "You brought barbecue."

She started pulling Styrofoam containers out.

"I never said I played fair," she said, "This is freshly made courtesy of a friend of mine who just opened up a joint downtown."

He opened one of the Styrofoam.

"Ribs," he said, smiling, "I can't remember…"

"Taste the sauce," she said, "I dare you to be able to identify the ingredients."

He laughed.

"I don't know," he said, "I was raised on barbecue and I pretty much know most of anything you can throw in a sauce."

He dipped his finger in and stuck it in his mouth. The expression in his eyes softened and then looked puzzled.

"There's some that are on the tip of my tongue," he said, "but I can't think of them."

Rhonda nodded.

"I know," she said, "Isn't it great?"

"I haven't really tasted it yet."

"No, isn't it great not being able to figure out something by its parts but just to be able to enjoy it in its entirety?"

He narrowed his eyes as he picked up a spare rib.

"You going spiritual on me," he asked.

"Oh no," she said, "We're strictly talking about food here."

His eyes widened as he bit into it and chewed slowly.

"This is delicious," he said, "I have to say Rhonda, you are a connoisseur of great local cuisine."

She smiled.

"That's true for me about many things," she said.

"Are you going to stand and watch me eat," he said.

She sat down in a nearby chair and began serving herself.

"So how are things going," she said, casually.

His eyes bore into her.

"Nothing's come up with the Parsons case if that's what you want to know," he said, "and no, we haven't brought in Mr. Houston either."

She licked the sauce off of a finger.

"You won't," she said, "Bring him in, I mean. He's a pro at hiding. You'll find him if he wants you to do so."

Jonathan nodded.

"I know that," he said, "I just think it's time for him to think about coming out of hiding and helping us bring these bad guys down instead of trying to do it by himself."

Rhonda chewed thoughtfully.

"He doesn't trust you yet," she said, "and he would never jeopardize C.J.'s life and he's seen what happened the short time you had her in protective custody."

Jonathan sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"We know we screwed up badly," he said, "but the big boss came down and forced us to clean up our division which wasn't a bad thing. Now we can handle protecting her as our witness and we need her help if we're going to build a case against Andre Duval."

Rhonda tilted her head.

"I'm not sure she'll come out of hiding until she believes Duval is in custody," she said, "Talk about a Catch-22."

Jonathan couldn't argue with that.

"There's little chance of nailing anyone as long as she stays hidden away," he said.

"What if someone else incriminates Duval," Rhonda said.

Jonathan looked up from his food.

"What do you mean?"

"What about Scott," she said, "We know he had ties to Duval. Why not use them to our advantage?"

Jonathan frowned.

"First of all, there's no 'our'," he said, "You and the others are to keep out of this investigation."

Rhonda nodded.

"Okay, whatever."

"No I am serious," Jonathan said, "Not only is it obstruction, but these men are very dangerous."

"Okay, but what about you using Scott to get to Andre?"

Jonathan returned to eating. She watched him.

"Well…."

"If I knew what his exact relationship was with Andre, that might work," Jonathan said, "But we don't know, let alone have proof of anything that's less than eight or so years old."

Rhonda nodded.

"What happened in Boston."

He looked surprised but nodded.

"Yes, but that's too old now," he said, "I don't see what good it would to argue about using anything from years ago."

"But you know they've had a business relationship more recent than that," Rhonda pressed.

He sighed.

"I know that, you know that," he said, "but my superiors in this division let alone anyone at the FBI needs to be convinced of that and like I said, no proof."

"There's got to be something we…you can do," Rhonda said.

"I've thought of everything," he said, "even using Duval's relationship with his father. But it's just thinking. It's not getting us anywhere."

"What about action," Rhonda asked.

Jonathan looked away.

"We're a long way from doing anything associated with that," he said.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence.

* * *

C.J. and Julia searched around the party for familiar faces and found several belonging to people in their classes, talking casually with others about anything but law. Nights like this where Harvard's students could kick back and relax came rarely indeed.

"I'm glad you could come," Julia said, "I thought you had to work tonight."

C.J. gazed around the cramped room again, wondering if she made the right decision.

"I was able to get a substitute," she said, "After all, I worked some of her shifts. She owed me a couple back."

Julia took her arm and led her to the refreshments table.

"Have a glass," she said, pouring herself one of what looked like fruit punch.

C.J. looked at it warily.

"I bet it's spiked," she said.

Julia laughed.

"I hope so," she said, pouring one for C.J. anyway, "Here try it."

C.J. took the glass gingerly and took a sip.

"I think that's Vodka," she said, putting it back down.

Julia sipped her glass.

"You're right," she said, "Take another sip."

C.J. shook her head.

"I've had enough," she said, "I've got to study more when I get back to the apartment."

"You're a lot of fun," Julia said, shaking her head.

"You go off and look for your boyfriend," C.J. said, "I don't see him here."

Julia looked around again.

"He said he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it," he said, "Said he had a job for that new guy he's working with."

C.J. looked at her friend.

"Scott got a job?"

Julia downed a glass of punch.

"Didn't you hear," she said, "He didn't tell you he's working for this young business man who just came to Beantown?"

C.J. shook her head.

"No he didn't," she said, "Who's the business guy?"

Julia shrugged.

"He wouldn't say," she said, "Does it matter? I find it so interesting he's actually found his work ethic. Maybe my parents won't be so hard on him."

"They just care about you, Julia."

Julia frowned, and then filled her glass with more punch.

"Why are you acting like my parents," she said, "They never understood Scott like I do."

"He's not always reliable," C.J. said.

Julia sipped her punch. C.J. watched her friend drink and knew it would be a long night.

"Maybe you shouldn't be hitting the punch so hard," C.J. said.

Julia thrust the glass in C.J.'s direction.

"You don't like Scott, do you?"

Someone cranked the stereo playing hard rock up a notch and C.J. moved closer to Julia to hear her words.

"What you talking about," she said, "Scott's my friend. We've known each other for years."

"But you don't like him," Julia accused. "Did you ever like him?"

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"I…don't trust him, Julia," she said, "I don't know why. I just don't. I'm worried that he'll hurt you."

"He won't hurt me, C.J.," Julia said, "He's a great guy. Matt knows that. What would he think if he knew you were questioning one of his best friends?"

C.J. searched for the words to soften what she had to say but rejected them.

"Houston would ask me why I felt the way I did," she said, "He respects my opinion and I trust him to listen to me and take what I say seriously."

Julia snorted, putting the glass down. C.J. saw that action and relaxed a little bit.

"Take what you say seriously," Julia said, "When you won't even tell him the truth?"

C.J. looked at her friend, closely.

"What truth," she asked.

Julia laughed.

"About your feelings for him," she said, "Your real feelings."

C.J. shook her head.

"You don't know what you're saying," she said, "You're getting drunk."

C.J. started to walk away. Julia grabbed her arm.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I am being such a jerk," she said, "But if you told him you wanted him, I doubt he'd say no.

C.J. eye's flashed and pulled her arm away.

"I hit a nerve didn't I," she said.

C.J. sighed and then turned toward Julia, her face impassive.

"Now you're talking crazy," she said, "And this isn't about Houston and me, it's about you and Scott and how he's driving you crazy ever since he started changing."

"Changing," Julia said, "He just got a job. You work at a dive dressed like a flapper and we don't sit around and talk about how you changed."

C.J. spun around.

"I'm worried about you, that's all," she said, "I'm worried about Scott and this new job he has and what it's doing to him, to you."

Julia rubbed her friend's shoulder.

"Then stop worrying," she said, "Everything's fine. I'm fine. Scott's fine. Let's just drop it."

She filled up her glass and walked away, leaving C.J. upset in her wake.

* * *

C.J. blinked and Matt looked at her.

"What's going on," he asked.

She shook off her feelings and smiled at him.

"Nothing," she said, "I'm just thinking about the past."

"Any particular part of it," he said.

She looked away then rubbed her shoulders.

"Just a conversation I had with Julia back at Harvard," she said, "It seems so long ago."

"I think there's just been so much living to fill those years in between then and now."

She nodded, biting her lip.

"She really loved him back then," she said.

"Scott?"

She rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, it took her a while to figure out that something was wrong," she said, "but that's how it is sometimes when you're in love."

"I know, I've been down that road a time or two myself," he said.

"So have I," C.J. said, "But I don't think she ever got over of it, even later on in life."

"She did meet and marry a man," Matt pointed out.

"Yeah but she also sent me that letter and disk," C.J. said, "to warn me about Scott."

"She cared about you," Matt said, "She wanted you to be safe."

C.J. chuckled derisively.

"I learned how that worked out," she said, "I didn't trust Scott either, certainly not when he came back to Houston Enterprises but I never thought he'd do what he did."

"You had no way of knowing," Matt said, "You thought he was your friend."

She shook her head.

"No, that's not what I thought," she said, "I didn't think he'd hurt you his way. No matter how much I didn't like or trust him, I never thought he'd turn on you."

Matt sighed.

"That didn't matter," he said, "Any friendship he ever had with anyone paled beside his own ambitions or any debt he owed Andre Duval. The bad thing, was that it was at your expense."

C.J. remained silent for a while. Matt watched her and then stroked her arm. She looked up at him.

"He's your best chance at making sure Andre comes to us," she said, "I may be the bait but he's the middleman."

Matt looked away and then nodded.

"I was thinking about that all day," he said, "And I think I've got just the way to get him to help us."

C.J. raised her brows.

"How," she asked.

"I'll tell you on the way to the village," he said, "and I've got a surprise for you."

She smiled.

"A surprise?"

He nodded and wrapped his arm around her.

"Come on," he said, "let's go."

* * *

Andre sat in his office, after receiving his latest update from Elena on his operations in the Caribbean. She told him everything was going smoothly and only that a man named Stavros had called to check on a business deal. He frowned when he heard his name but told Elena he would personally handle that situation and had it under control.

Then there was Scott. Andre wondered if he really had any idea of where C.J. had hidden out all these months or if he were bluffing to get something out of him. He knew that the federal agencies were scrutinizing Scott and his employment at Houston Enterprises carefully but believed that was none of his affair. If Scott kept his mouth closed, nothing would be traced back to Duval, the upstanding business importer and former consulate employee. And if Scott did choose to open his mouth, he wouldn't live long enough to sing a note. So there was little value in contacting Scott about anything even C.J.. Still, he would watch the situation and see what developed, if there were any truth to his words that he could locate C.J.

He leaned back in his chair, realizing that he had to act fast to locate her before his business partner did once he started looking. He picked up his phone to make the call.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58--Another chapter to this very, very long fanfiction. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks! I also have posted a really old fanfiction on the last episode of the for reading!

* * *

Matt and C.J. followed the dirt road to the village, a trail that had become familiar to them. The sun had begun to set and the scents of the flowers hugging the road began to fill the air in earnest.

"So you're going to Serena to make a phone call," C.J. said, "to Jonathan?"

"No," Matt said, "to someone else."

"Who," she asked, curious.

He smiled.

"That's a surprise," he said, "but it's one you'll enjoy."

She smiled broadly.

"You're not even going to give me a hint," she asked.

Matt shook his head, taking her hand.

"Trust me," he said, "You'll really like it."

She nodded.

"I do trust you."

He looked at her.

"This isn't going to be an easy part of the process," he said, "After we do this, there won't be any going back."

She shook her head.

"I don't want to go back and I don't want to stand still," she said, "I just want to get this done so that we can go through with this whole operation."

He stopped on the path and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's going to be very dangerous for you," she said.

"It's going to be dangerous for all of us," she said, "I can't walk away from that anymore than you can."

"But this is going to put you out there as a target," Matt said, "and now we know it might not just be Andre who shows up."

She caressed his face.

"I know," she said, "and I can't help with these memory gaps I have but I do trust you to do the best you can to help keep me safe."

"My best might not be enough," he said.

"I think it will be," she said, "and I think with all the people we have in our corner and the skills they bring to the table, we'll be okay."

Matt remained quiet for a while as they continued walking. C.J. knew that he feared for what might happen if things didn't go well but kept most of what he felt to himself. Just like she kept from him what her plans would be if bringing down Andre didn't set her free. The secrets they kept from each other during their lives remained far and few between but now each hid something from the other.

They continued walking until they reached the village.

* * *

Rhonda sighed as she sat in the living room of Chris's house, watching the news. There had been an update on the federal investigation into the horror that had been uncovered in Washington State but no substantial details were given out by the news reporter. Rhonda figured that there hadn't been any major breakthroughs in the investigation in several weeks, as the FBI continued to try to put faces and identities to the bones they had uncovered in the unmarked graves.

"Chris, I wonder if those women are ever going to get justice for what was done to them," she said.

Chris took a sip of her drink.

"I hope so," she said, "But you know what the feds always said, these investigations are very complicated, very prolonged and very much by the book."

Rhonda nodded, without any real enthusiasm.

"I know what they say," she said, "but this is really awful. How could these men get away with what they did to these women, and to C.J.?"

Chris sighed.

"At least Piser got what was coming to him," she said, "He'll never hurt anyone again."

"He sure did," Rhonda said, "It's ironic if C.J. is actually the one who killed him."

"If she did, you know it was self-defense," Chris said, "The feds can't hold her accountable for that."

"They sure seem more interested in his killing than the others," Rhonda said.

"They probably feel that it's tied with the others," Chris said, "and maybe everything else that was going on there."

"You mean solve that murder and everything else will fall into place," Rhonda said, "I don't think that's going to happen."

"I think it's C.J. that's going to pull the threads together," Chris said, "That's why the feds put the warrant out on Matt."

Rhonda harrumphed.

"She's only with him because Andre's men tried to kidnap her twice," she said, "What good is any truth she can tell if she winds up dead?"

Chris looked into her glass.

"I think I got Scott nervous," she said, "I need more time to work on him but then it would help if I had more to work with."

Rhonda shrugged.

"It's like poker," she said, "Haven't you heard of bluffing?"

"This is a bit of a higher stakes deal than poker," Chris said, "There's no room for mistakes if a bluff gets called."

"I never liked card games," Rhonda said, "but playing a guy like Scott requires a whole different field."

"We've got to try," Chris said, "I think if we can convince him that we might know where C.J. and Matt are, that he'll go to Andre."

"What if you're wrong," Rhonda said.

"Then what's lost in the process," Chris said.

Rhonda thought about it.

"Not much," she said, "and you're probably right, about him running off to someone. The feds have him back in a corner."

"Just not enough," Chris said, "I don't know how many more rounds they plan to go with him."

Rhonda sipped her drink.

"Jonathan said they just don't have enough on him," she said, "that he keeps slipping out of their grasp."

"Hopefully we can help put an end to that," Chris said.

* * *

Matt and C.J. headed up the stairs to Serena's headquarters and she let them inside. She had maps of the ocean and its islands spread out and looked as if she had been studying them for a while.

"I've been trying to find the best way to approach his compound," she said, showing them a crude map of Sapphire Island.

Matt looked at it.

"That's not a bad representation of it," he said, "It looks like it's got some jungle on three sides."

Serena nodded.

"That might be our best approach," she said, "We'll be less visible."

"That would help," Matt said.

She looked up.

"Did you want to make another phone call," she said.

Matt nodded.

"We've got a plan we're ready to set in motion," he said, "and it starts with one phone call."

They walked over to her equipment and she sat down and began to flip some switches.

"Who do you want to call," she asked.

He gave her the information, while C.J. still looked at the maps.

* * *

"So how do you know where we're going," C.J. looked at him as he steered the boat just off of Martha's Vineyard.

They had taken a few days off from their busy lives of law school for her and working for his father's company for him to relax. She loved standing on deck as the boat glided through the ocean with the wind blowing against her face. After finishing a tough set of midterm exams, she had been ready to leave Boston for several days to unwind and forget about the law for a while.

Matt looked straight ahead. He had flown out to visit her, taking a break between making business deals. She had been surprised when he called her and told her he was flying out but said she'd meet him at Logan Airport. The next morning, they had driven out to stay at the Vineyard and had spent their first morning out in the ocean.

"I have the coordinates," he said.

"You had them last time and we still got lost," she said.

"That won't happen this time," he said, "and even if it does, we'll have plenty of food."

She laughed.

"So we won't wash up on shore of an island and have to be rescued?"

He wrinkled his forehead.

"I think that was officially a buoy."

She studied him for a moment. He seemed intent on ensuring that the boat didn't hit anything even though there wasn't much out in the wide sea to cause any problems. She decided to broach the subject carefully.

"So I thought you and Linda…"

He sighed.

"Linda decided she was going to take the job in Japan," he said, quietly.

"Oh."

"It's a great opportunity for her," he said, "When an exciting software technology firm on the rise comes calling, you answer."

He didn't fool her one bit.

"There's a lot of jobs out there Houston," she said, "especially for people in her line of work."

"I know," he said, "but this one paid a lot of money and in five years, she could get stock shares."

"That might be nice if the company continues its upward trajectory, but not all of them do," C.J. said, "It's still a very calculated risk."

"Well, the fact that we had an argument last week probably helped her with her decision making," he admitted.

"Ah, and what was _this_ argument about," she said.

He took his eyes off the ocean and narrowed his eyes. She sighed.

"Houston, you always argue with her," she said, "and then I suddenly get this phone call out of the blue about how sailing at the Vineyard is so great this time of year."

"It is," he said, defensively, "but you're right."

"So is this finally it for you two," she said, "or are you going to start learning Japanese and find a job over there?"

He set his jaw.

"Now you're being silly," he said, "No, I'm not going after her."

She folded her arms.

"Would you," she said, "Would you go after a woman if she really mattered?"

"I don't know C.J."

She took a deep breath.

"I think you would," she said, "I don't think you would let anyone or anything even a trip all the way around the world stop you."

"You really think so?"

"I know so," she said, "I'm as sure as that as I am about anything."

He smiled.

"And what about you," he said, "I heard a rumor that Jonathan was back in Colorado taking a break from his training."

"Yeah he is," she said.

"And you're out here at the Vineyard and not there."

"It would seem so."

"So if you love this guy like you say you do, why aren't you following your own advice?"

She hadn't had an answer for him back then, because she felt that what had happened between her and Jonathan had gotten so complicated. Not that it hadn't started that way. How many couples were held hostage by a drug dealer the day they first met? She often had wondered if that incident had sparked their relationship or whether it would have happened anyway and if it had never happened, how would they have fared as a couple? She had learned that events and not just feelings shaped relationships and the directions they went and sometimes whether they survived or not.

* * *

Matt and Serena were sitting by her computer and as C.J. joined them, she saw Serena hand Matt a phone. He waited for a minute until he heard a woman answer.

"H, Chris is that you," he asked.

Silence met him.

"Matt is that really you?"

"Yes it's me," he said, "I can't talk to you long but I've got a favor to ask of you."

"A favor," she repeated, "You know I'll do anything for you, just name it."

* * *

Chris sat on the other end of the phone line miles away and after seeing the reaction on her face, Rhonda wanted to know what's going on.

"Who's on the phone?" She asked.

Chris looked at her friend, smiling.

"It's Matt but he wants me to do something for him," she said.

Matt paused.

"We're getting ready to set an operation in motion here to go after Andre," he said.

"That's great news," Chris said, "What can I do to help?"

"You can pass along a message to Scott."

"Scott?"

"Yeah, tell him that C.J. and I are located south of the Bahamas about 80 miles near Sapphire Island."

"Sapphire Island," she said, "Never heard of it."

"It doesn't matter," Matt said, "because Andre Duval has."

"Oh I see," she said, "You want me to pass along this information to Scott in hopes that he'll tell Andre."

"Exactly," Matt said, "We're trying to lure him down here. He's got a compound and if we can get him there, it will be a lot easier than trying to find him."

"Okay, I'll do it," Chris said, "and you want him to work for that information first?"

"Yes, so he won't get suspicious though I would guess at this point that Scott's desperate enough not to notice a trap."

"We've got him pretty wired down here," Chris said, "Something we've been working on."

"Thanks for doing this," Matt said.

"Are you sure you're ready for Andre to come looking for you," Chris asked.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Matt said, "It's now or never."

"Then when it's all over and done with, you and C.J. will be coming home," Chris said, "We've all missed you so much."

"That's the plan," Matt said, "and by the way, speaking of C.J. I have someone on the phone here for you."

* * *

Matt handed the phone to C.J. who looked at him quizzically.

"Hi," she said.

"C.J., it's so great to hear your voice," Chris said.

C.J.'s face lit up and she smiled broadly.

"It's really good to hear yours Chris," she said, "How are things going in Houston?"

And with that, the two friends caught up.

* * *

Jonathan sat in his office, reading the latest report. He heard a knock on his door and looked up to see Simon standing there, a frown on his face. Nothing unusual there, Jonathan thought.

"Come in," Jonathan said, "I'm assuming this isn't good news."

"We've heard that people in your office know where Matt Houston and C.J. Parsons are hiding out."

Jonathan sighed.

"News travels fast," he said, "We don't have a definite location. Like your office, we believe they are somewhere in the Western Hemisphere."

Simon folded his arms.

"The rumor I heard was about a location a little more specific than that," he said.

Jonathan threw up his hands.

"Okay, we think they might be somewhere in the Caribbean or one of the bordering countries."

Simon smiled.

"That's better," he said, "I'm already sending a team out to rendezvous with liaisons of some of the loal governments."

Jonathan shook his head at the other agent.

"What is expending a lot of manpower to find a needle in a haystack going to accomplish," he said, "We should be out busting Scott Prescow's chops more to get him to lead us to Duval."

"Now that's a wasted effort if there ever was one," Simon said, "Prescow hasn't given anything up and need I remind you again that as of right now, Andre Duval is a respected businessman with ties to his nation's consulate."

"No you don't have to remind me," Jonathan said, "but we're making a huge error here in judgment and strategy here and we're wasting valuable time doing so."

"We have to do it by the rules we have in place," Simon said, "or need I remind you of that."

"So the rules tell us we have to search all over the earth to bring in a man on a warrant and an uncooperative witness as if they were the criminals and then let the real bad guys do what they want," Jonathan said.

"That's your way of interpreting them, not mine and not the Justice Department's," Simon retorted, "Maybe you're letting the stresses of this job get to you too much."

"I can handle the stress just fine," Jonathan said, "but the needless bureaucracy that could be putting lives more in danger, that I have a problem with."

"Then perhaps you need to take a leave of absence," Simon said.

Jonathan stared at him.

"You're not serious," he said.

"Very much so," Simon said, "In fact, my supervisor might be giving yours a call fairly soon."

Jonathan stood up.

"Damn it, I do not need a vacation," he said, "What I need is some room to go after some very bad criminals."

"Like some vigilante," Simon asked.

"You know that's not what I mean," Jonathan said, "but somewhere in this whole mess, the idea of justice and what's right and wrong hasn't gotten turned upside down."

"To you maybe," Simon said, "It looks the same to me."

"Somehow I don't find that surprising," Jonathan said, "and there go lies the problem, one which could very well get Matt and C.J. killed. I am not willing to let that happen."

* * *

After Chris hung up the phone, Rhonda jumped on her.

"Was that really them," she asked.

Chris nodded.

"They want us to do them a favor," she said, "This was just the information we've been waiting for to work on Scott."

"You mean he told you were they were?"

"Yes, and our job is to make sure that Scott gets this information…"

"So he can take it to Andre," Rhonda finished, "Okay how do we do that?"

"Very carefully," Chris said, "We don't want to get him suspicious."

Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"That shouldn't be too hard," she said, "We know how badly he wants this information so he's got some leverage either against the feds or his boss."

"It's going to be very risky for Matt and C.J. once we put this in motion," Chris said, "but he said they're ready for anything."

"Then let's go ahead," Rhonda said, quietly.

"And Rhonda," Chris said, "Jonathan can't know."

Rhonda looked at her friend, pointedly.

"My lips are sealed."

* * *

Matt and C.J. headed back to their bungalow. He noticed her smile. After she had gotten off the phone, she had turned around and hugged him, thanking him for her surprise, before they had said goodbye to Serena and headed on back.

"So how's Chris doing," Matt asked, "I didn't have time to ask her."

"She and the others are doing fine," C.J. said, "Apparently they've been quite busy since we've been gone."

"Yeah, I hear they've been working on Scott."

"Now they've gotten something to work with," she said, "I think it really made her feel better to be able to help us."

"Well, we really need her help to get Andre down here," Matt said, "but she was worried about the danger it will bring to us."

C.J. sighed.

"I know, I'm a bit worried about that part of it too," she said, "I don't want anything bad to happen to you and the others. If it comes to…"

He stopped.

"No, it's going to work," he said, "We're going to bring him down whatever it takes."

"He's a very powerful man, Houston," she said, "and if anything did happen to you, I don't think I'd ever forgive myself."

"We're going to make sure that nothing happens to anyone on our side," he said.

"Does that include Antonio," she asked.

He paused.

"I'm not sure I trust him," he said.

"We need his help," she said, "Besides, we promised to help him get his sister out."

"I hope that's enough to ensure his loyalty," he said.

"I don't think Antonio will do anything to Andre except to destroy him," C.J. said, "I think that's been his mission all along."

"Because Andre killed Sierra," Matt said, nodding.

"When he told me about it, I saw the hate in his eyes Houston," she said, "It's a feeling I understand all too well."

"When this is over, he's either going to be in prison or he'll be dead," Matt said.

She started walking again.

"Even then I might not still be able to go home," she said, "but I can't force you to that kind of life."

He shook his head.

"I'm not going back without you," he said, "I'm not leaving this undone."

"You might have to Houston," she said, "because there's another threat out there and I don't even know its face."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," he said.

"How," she said, "if we don't even see it coming. We would spend our whole lives looking for our shoulders waiting for that day."

"And what, I'm supposed to leave and turn my back while you face that alone," he said, throwing up his hands, "I'm not going to do that."

She sighed.

"I don't want you to have to pay for what happened to me," she said, "You've done so much for me already and given up so much."

"I want you to be home and safe."

She nodded.

"I know that," she said, "but we have to face the facts that this day may never come and one of us is going to have to walk away."

He looked at her for a moment, watching the different emotions fight for control of her face.

"Well, it's not going to be me."

She nodded slowly, but Matt noticed that in her eyes, nothing had changed. He wondered if he would wake up one morning and she would be gone. What he would do if that happened.

She watched him the rest of their walk back to the bungalow, knowing that she had a very difficult decision to make and hoped she had the courage to make it.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59---Here's the latest chapter of this fanfiction. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

C.J. looked up at Andre , who stood in front of her like a nightmare.

"I've decided to let you live," he said, after studying her for what felt like one of the longest periods in her life.

She pretended to be indifferent. As she would have been if he had made his decision yesterday before she found a way to escape.

"Whatever you choose to do, I have no say in the matter," she said, not even looking at him, "You've made that clear."

He nodded.

"Yes I have, and so it is in this case as well," he said, "but what are you thinking?"

She looked up then.

"That it doesn't matter what you choose to do," she said, "Either way I'm not going to ever see my friends and family again."

"That's true," Andre said, "Why would you want to go back?

She just stared at him.

"You are not the same woman that you were when you came here," Andre said.

She gritted her teeth, to keep her emotions in check.

"You made sure of that."

"Well, that's the way it is in my line of work," he said, "It's nothing personal."

She struggled to keep her gaze.

"So what did you decide," she said, evenly.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, "I'll be out of town but it will be a couple of days."

"Until what," she said.

He looked at her a long moment. She didn't think she'd receive an answer.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, "There is something I must do first."

* * *

C.J. woke with a start, feeling a searing burning pain on her shoulder. She pushed up her sleeve to rub it, but the pain had already disappeared. She looked at the scar that served as a reminder of that conversation with Andre. One that she had shoved into the back of her mind for months but it had reemerged anyway. She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen where she ran into Matt.

She went to the refrigerator to pour herself some juice.

"What are you still doing up," she asked.

He looked up at her.

"I couldn't sleep," he said.

She sat down next to him.

"Why," she asked, "Are you worried about the operation?"

He sighed.

"I'm worried that it won't be enough to keep you from running."

"Houston…"

"I don't know even if it works if it will be enough," he said.

She looked away.

"I shouldn't have told you what I was thinking," she said, finally.

He shook his head.

"No, I'm glad you did," he said, "I don't want you to keep feelings like that to yourself."

She looked at her glass.

"I meant what I said, Houston," she said, "I'm not going to force you to spend the rest of your life trying to fix this situation if it can't be."

He looked at her.

"C.J., you're not forcing me to do anything," he said, "I'm not going back home until you can come with me."

She smiled at his words but her eyes looked troubled.

"I know you're trying your very best to help me," she said, "But that day might never come and we have to face that."

He shook his head again.

"I don't believe that," he said, "I think that even if Andre's not the only one out there, we can still make it safe enough for you to go back to your life."

She took his hand between her own.

"Houston, these men are ruthless," she said, "If there's another one out there, he might never stop looking even if Andre's out of the picture. We'd be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives."

He squeezed her hand.

"We've been doing that anyway, when we worked as investigators," he said, "An assortment of people with grudges against us for putting them away have come to take another swing at us and we're still here."

She paused.

"That's true," she said, "but I would always feel like it's my fault for putting you in that situation. I find that difficult to live with."

"It's not your fault, C.J."

"Maybe…"

"No maybes," he said, "We're going to get the men responsible."

She nodded.

"I know you want to, Houston," she said, "I just don't want anything to happen to you in the process."

"Nothing will happen," he said, "except that when we're finished here, we're going back to our family and friends."

She remained quiet for a while.

"You sound so sure of that," she said, "I have a lot of faith in you, Houston, I hope you know that…"

"I do," he said, "but I hope you also know that I'm not going back without you."

* * *

Chris headed to the office at Houston Enterprises the next morning, with a smile on her face. She had felt uplifted since she had spoken on the phone with both Matt and C.J. Now, she knew for sure they were okay and were preparing to put a plan into action. And she was only happy to help them by doing her part. She heard a knock and saw Roy standing in the doorway.

"I heard that you received a call from my nephew yesterday," he said.

She nodded.

"They called, because they need our help, Roy," she said, "We've got to get Scott to contact Andre."

Roy sat down near her desk.

"And you're going to do that by letting him in on where Matt and C.J. are hiding out," Roy said.

"Yeah," she said, "I hope it works and I hope it doesn't put them in too much danger."

"It shouldn't, not much more than they're already facing," Roy reasoned, "Andre and his men have been trying to track them down for months and eventually they will be successful."

"So even if they don't do anything," Chris said, "He'll still come after them."

"Precisely," Roy said, "Do you need my help?"

She looked at him and smiled.

"When I let Scott in on where they are," she said, "Can you be there?"

Roy smiled.

"It would be my pleasure."

* * *

Chad poked his head in Jonathan's office. When he saw his supervisor, Jonathan's mood darkened.

"What's going on," he asked, "I've been calling around the Justice Department and found out the feds are sending a team down to the Caribbean."

Chad sat down.

"Before you ask me, it wasn't my idea," he said, "The feds really want to bring them in."

Jonathan rustled some papers.

"I know that," he said, "Agent Denton has been on my ass the past few days ever since he found out we might be holding back on him."

"Well, the FBI's pushing the inquest on Seymour Piser," Chad said, "and that's difficult to do without Ms Parsons."

"And I'm sure they've guessed she's the probable killer," Jonathan said.

Chad nodded.

"I'm sure it's crossed their minds," he said, "They do realize it's most likely self-defense."

"Good for them," Jonathan said without much enthusiasm.

"Besides, the chances that they'll find them are slim," Chad said, "The Caribbean's a pretty big place."

"Andre will probably find them first," Jonathan said.

Chad frowned.

"We can't let that happen," he said.

Jonathan raised his brows.

"Are you worried at all about our witness's safety or is she just a means to an end?"

Chad bristled and Jonathan knew he hit a nerve but he didn't care.

"Of course I do," he said, "but we don't even know if Andre did anything…"

Jonathan slammed his fist on the desk.

"Of course we do," he said, "We know damn well what he's been up to. The feds just don't want to admit it."

Chad raised his hand.

"We don't have any proof," he said, "Andre's keeping his nose clean and there's nothing to link him to Ms Parsons or anything we found up in Washington."

"That's not true," Jonathan said, "We know that Andre was associated with Piser in Bannon County. We know that he was associated with Scott Prescow in Boston some years ago."

"Some years ago…," Chad countered, "Precisely my point, it's all dated information. No recent connections."

Jonathan couldn't deny the lack of hard evidence there. That's what kept him awake at night.

"We haven't looked hard enough," he said.

Chad sighed.

"We've looked very hard," he said, "and still haven't found anything."

"I'm not going to stop looking," Jonathan said, "not until I find something."

He looked up and saw Rhonda standing in the doorway with some bags of food.

"Am I interrupting anything," she asked.

Both men just looked at her.

* * *

C.J. poured the coffee while Matt made them some breakfast. Neither had gotten much sleep that night and when morning came, found themselves exhausted.

"I made it extra strong this morning," she said.

He nodded and spooned some eggs on their plates, alongside some fresh fruit. They sat at the table.

"How'd you sleep," she asked.

He looked back at her.

"How about you?"

She shrugged.

"I tossed and turned," she said, "I didn't want to dream again."

"Having nightmares," he said, taking a bite of his eggs.

She sipped her coffee.

"I guess you could say so," she said.

"What about?"

"About Andre's decision not to kill me for escaping," she said, "He kept asking me what I thought about it."

"Probably a power play," Matt said, "He knew you had no say in the matter."

"No I didn't," she said, "I told him that but he kept pushing."

"Did you give him an answer?"

She thought about it.

"I told him it didn't matter either way because I wasn't going home," she said, looking at her plate, "I knew I'd never see my friends and family again no matter what he did."

"How'd he respond?"

"He said I wasn't the same woman anyway so it wouldn't matter," she said, softly, "and he's right."

"C.J., you might not be the same as you were," Matt said, "but that doesn't mean the people who care about you are going to love you any less."

She chewed her food thoughtfully.

"I know," she said, "but that's the part that's so difficult about going back, if I'm ever able to do that."

"Because of what he did," Matt asked.

C.J. just nodded.

"I guess my fear of danger isn't the only thing holding me here," she said, "I'm afraid of myself and what's going to happen when I realize that going home isn't going to be enough."

"We'll help you with whatever you need," he said, "and I'll always be there for you."

She smiled.

"You already have, Houston," she said, "You're here with me and you've made facing this easier than it would have been otherwise."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," he said, "and back on the home front, you've got Chris, our friends and Uncle Roy helping us."

"I miss them all so much," she said, "though it was great talking to Chris after all this time. Thank you for doing that."

"My pleasure," he said, "I just hope that things are going well with our plan on her end."

* * *

Chris and Roy sat in the break room when Scott entered.

"There you two are," he said, "I need you to review some papers that Murray asked to be signed before he comes back into town today."

Chris studied them.

"I thought I just faxed these this morning," she said.

Scott shrugged.

"I guess he's sending them back," he said, "Murray didn't provide a lot of information when he sent these forms."

"That's so like him," Chris said, shaking her head, "I am glad he's returning today."

Scott went to pour himself some coffee.

"So what are you two up to today," he asked, casually.

Chris and Roy looked at each other.

"Oh nothing special," Chris said, "I'm just filling out and filing some old invoices."

"I'm going out to attend a concert," Roy said.

"That sounds interesting," Scott said, "I'm preparing for the shareholders' meeting next month."

"Are you sure you're still going to have a job here next month," Chris asked, sweetly.

Roy shook his head at her.

"Now Chris, we must be civil to your fellow Houston Enterprises employee," he reminded her.

She sighed.

"You're right Roy," she said, "I'm sorry about my attitude."

Scott looked at Roy in surprise.

"I didn't know you'd be defending me," he said, "but you are Matt's uncle and Matt and I have been best friends since high school."

"I believe that every employee in my nephew's company deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," Roy said, simply.

Scott looked at Chris.

"That's the right attitude," he said, "I wish all of this company's employees shared it."

"Well, I do try my best, but a lot of it depends on what you have to work with," Chris said, finishing her coffee.

"So what were you two talking about," Scott asked, "Surely, it's not only related to work."

Chris sighed.

"We were talking about Matt and C.J. wondering if we'd ever see them again," she said, "They've been gone so long now."

"Yes they have," Scott agreed, "but we must never give up hope that they'll return."

"That's what I told Chris," Roy said, "I just know they are out there safe some place and probably not too far away at that."

Scott raised his brows.

"Why do you say that?"

Roy took a sip of his coffee.

"Because I know my nephew," he said, "and I don't think he and C.J. went far in their travels."

"Oh really," Scott said, "So you think they might be in this area?"

Roy shrugged.

"It's a possibility," he said, "although it's winter and knowing Matlock, he's probably picked a warm climate to hang up his hat."

Scott nodded.

"That would seem smart," he said, "If you're going to hide out, why do it in the dead of winter?"

"Now Roy, we can't talk too much about where we think they are," she said, "We promised them we wouldn't."

Roy looked up at Scott.

"Scott knows that," he said, "I'm sure he'll be discreet."

Scott nodded.

"You have my word on that," he said.

Chris grimaced and Roy's smile told her to play along.

"I'm sure we can take it," Roy said, "but you know how careful we have to be when anything that slips out could put their safety at risk."

"I understand that," Scott said, "I would never do anything to jeopardize my two good friends."

Chris looked at Roy. He nodded.

"Well, since you put it that way," she said, "We may know where they are right now. We've had some contact with them."

If Scott was shocked by that news, he didn't show it.

"How are they doing," he asked.

"Fine," Chris said, "at least as much as can be expected. C.J.'s had a very rough time but she's doing better."

Scott's expression looked neutral.

"That's good to hear," he said, "So where are they hanging out?"

"I can't be too specific," Chris said, "but it's somewhere in the Caribbean."

Scott laughed nervously.

"That's such a large region filled with islands and a lot of ocean," he said, "You didn't get more information than that?"

Chris shook her head.

"No, but I didn't ask," she said, "My number one thought was that at least they were safe."

"Why of course that's the most important thing," Scott said, "I just thought if we knew where they were, we could lend some assistance."

"If they need our help, they will let us know," Roy said, "They just called to tell us they're alive and doing as well as they can."

"And that when it's all over and it's safe again, they'll be coming home," Chris said.

Scott's mind had already begun working.

* * *

Matt met with Antonio near the beach. He had brought some more maps which showed Sapphire Island in greater detail. He spread them out on the table.

"This is the compound here," Matt asked, pointing with his finger.

Antonio nodded.

"That's the rear portion of it," he said, "This map of course doesn't show how heavily fortified it is."

"Well, we can expect that," Matt said, "and that's where your information as part of the security team will come in handy."

"I do know a lot about the forms of security they use," Antonio said, "but we could run into a few surprises no matter how well informed we are."

Matt pointed to another location of the map.

"So this is the jungle route," he said, "How many guards are located in this section?"

Antonio looked at the map.

"Quite a few," he said, "but the jungle has its own surprises."

"They usually do," Matt said.

Novelli walked up and sat down, looking at the map.

"This looks like it's walled in pretty good by natural geography," he said.

"That's why that location was chosen," Antonio agreed.

"They picked well," Novelli said, "judging by what I saw of the island when we were there."

"Any security defense no matter how formidable still has its weaknesses," Matt said, "It's just a matter of finding them."

Antonio nodded.

"Andre's compounds are no exception," he said, "after all, C.J. escaped from the one in Washington and that couldn't have been an easy task."

"She barely got away from there," Matt said, "and she nearly drowned in the river."

"That would still have been better than the alternative," Antonio said, "something I'm sure she knew."

* * *

C.J. sat on the porch with Bertha and Serena who had brought some tapas for them to eat while Serena caught them up on what was going on outside of their area.

"You've still got a bounty," Serena noted, "and Matt's got a warrant. In fact, the feds sent a detail down to the Bahamas to come looking for him."

"How'd they figure out we're here," C.J. said.

Serena shrugged.

"They have their ways," she said, "but it's a large region. They won't find you."

C.J. drew her legs closer to her.

"So there's them on one side and Andre on the other," she said.

"Sounds like you and Matt lead interesting lives," Serena said, "but no one's going to rat you out in these parts. We tend to look after our own."

C.J.'s eyes moistened.

"Thank you," she said.

"Thank Too-Mean," Serena said, "He's saved more than a few of our lives. We owe him. It's just too bad we never got a chance to repay him."

"I never did either," C.J. said, "for all the times he was there for Houston and me. We really miss him."

Serena nodded.

"Matt told me they were never able to retrieve his body when we first met him," she said, "but it doesn't really matter."

"Houston tried really hard to save him," C.J. said, "He didn't want to leave him."

Serena smiled.

"I know," she said, "We talked a lot about what happened when he wasn't talking about you and how much he missed you."

C.J. looked away.

"I understood why he went away," she said, "His fiancée leaving him hurt him a lot."

"He worried that you would blame yourself," Serena said, "because you tried to stop him."

C.J. looked down at her glass.

"Oh…that."

"You almost did," Serena said, "and you're the reason he was going back home. He was on his way when he stepped on that sting ray."

"Thank you for taking care of him when he needed it," she said, "and for saving his life."

Serena waved her hand.

"Nothing was going to kill him," she said, "He's one of the most determined men I've ever met and I've known a few including my husband."

C.J. smiled.

"Yeah he is that," she said, "He's been like that since I've known him."

Serena smiled.

"And he loves you," she said, "more than I think you know."

C.J. looked up suddenly and saw what was written in Serena's eyes.

* * *

Scott hurried back to his office and picked up his cell phone. He dialed the number for Andre's that he had used before and paced in his office, waiting for someone to answer the phone. Finally, he heard it picked up and the familiar voice of the woman he had spoken with before.

"Hi, this is Elena speaking," she said, "Who is this?"

"You know it's me, Scott Prescow," he said, "I need to talk to Andre now."

"Mr. Duval is not in the office at the moment," she said, "He's traveling on business and picks up his messages once a day."

"When he finds out what I have to tell him, he'll want to talk to me."

"Oh," Elena said, "He didn't mention wanting to talk with you at all, Mr. Prescow."

Scott cursed quietly on his end.

"But that was before he knew that I had found what he has been looking for," Scott said.

"And what is that?"

"He'll know when he gets this message," Scott said, "Pass it along to him."

"As you wish," Elena said, "but I can't guarantee he'll call you back."

"Oh he will when he gets it," Scott said, "He most definitely will."


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60---Here's the latest chapter in this super long fanficiton. Hope you like it, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

Scott got off the phone with Andre's assistant with a smile on his face. He knew that now that he had learned the general location of where Matt and C.J. had been hiding out all these months that he could name his own price. Andre's choice was either to respond to his offer by helping Scott against the federal agencies that had targeted him or Scott could take his information to the other trafficker who was currently hunting down the woman that he now owned.

Chris stuck her head in his office and watched Scott's excitement bubble over, with a smile on her face. The trap had been baited and had already caught its intended prey. She knew that Matt and C.J. would be very happy on their end to know that their plan was working yet they also had to be much more careful now that they had drawn a very dangerous man into their playing field.

Scott looked up and saw Chris in the doorway.

"So how's your day been going," he asked, way too nicely.

She forced a smile on her face.

"Much better now that I've got all those tax records behind me," she said, "I can get started on a new project."

"You must be happy that you'll no longer be working for me."

She shrugged.

"It wasn't all that bad really," she said, "We got a lot of work done considering our acting president has been conducting business deals all over the globe and the company's president has been missing in action."

"But the Caribbean, how bad can that be?"

Chris didn't smile.

"It's not home and that's where both of them want to be."

"I can understand that," Scott said, "I bet Matt's eager to see all the good things we've done with his company in his absence."

"You know, you still have to get around the fact that the last time he saw you, he punched you out."

Scott bristled.

"Water under the bridge, I've told you time and time again," he said, "He's probably forgotten about it already."

Chris seriously doubted that but she would leave that for Scott to discover himself. He deserved no less.

"We'll see what happens, when he returns," she said quietly.

* * *

C.J. ran up the hills, wearing her light sweats. Her nights had been plagued with more dreams and she knew that was because the day to move was fast approaching. She didn't know how to push them away or whether she should in case clues emerged that might assist in the upcoming operation. She heard footsteps behind her and looked around to see Antonio approaching.

"You're out early today," Antonio said.

"Just trying to get some extra fitness in," she said, "I want to make sure I'm in the best condition I can be."

He evaluated her quickly, in a way she never got used to.

"You're in great shape," Antonio said, "You should do very well in that part of the operation but your role is more psychological than physical."

"How so?"

"Because you're the one who escaped from a compound," he said.

"But that was in Washington," she reminded him, "The one down here could be much different."

"They're essentially structured the same," Antonio said, "It's the geography and its built in defenses that are the difference."

"I've been thinking about my dreams," she said, "Nightmares really, trying to remember anything that's useful."

"What have they been like," he asked.

"It's me, it's Andre, it's some other man…"

"The unknown trafficker who purchased you from Andre," Antonio guessed.

"I don't know," she said, "I did have one dream the past several nights over and over."

"And what was that one?"

"About the night that they branded me."

* * *

Matt and Novelli worked on the boat with Brady to get it ready for the journey down to Sapphire Island. They had to come up with a method of quieting the motor so that they could slip into the harbor at night without anyone hearing their arrival.

"I've got a few ideas," Novelli said, tinkering with some equipment below deck.

"We haven't got much time," Matt said, "If Chris and her friends did their part on their end, then that means it's only a matter of time before Andre comes down here."

"And when he does, we'll have to be ready for anything," Novelli said, "including any type of attack on his end."

Matt scratched his face.

"You're right," he said, "We're making this large assumption that Andre really has no idea where we are when he might just be waiting for us to make a move in his direction."

"We're going to have to be flexible," Novelli said, "but Matt, you're real good at that."

"I've had to be with some of the assignments that I've worked on, including a lot of them with you."

Novelli nodded.

"I think we'll be okay in that regard but we've still got to be ready for everything."

* * *

Antonio looked at C.J.

"When did he do it," he asked.

"My last few days there," she said, "just before he left that last time."

"Can I see it," he asked.

She looked at him, hesitatingly. He thought she might refuse to show it to him but finally she nodded and rolled up one of her sleeves up to the shoulder. It lay next to an old bullet wound. He touched it, trying to make out the symbolism.

"It's difficult to read," he said, "but it's not the chimera marking."

"It got infected not long after they did it," she said, "The infection nearly killed me but it also took out part of the brand."

"It's more than likely that it was done as part of your being sold to the other trafficker," Antonio said, "It might be his own brand, not Andre's."

"I wish it were gone," she said.

"Then why don't you have it removed," Antonio asked.

"I thought about it," she said, "but with its removal would take away any chance I might found out what it meant and why it was done."

"It was done to mark you like cattle," he said, "It's a common practice in the business."

"Not much of it survived the infection anyway," she said, "I think a doctor came at one point and debraided it to fight the infection so I'm not sure what's left to identify."

* * *

She had vague memories of people standing over her bed, where she lay covered with sweat and feeling as if she had gotten smothered by a hot blanket. She couldn't keep still because of the pain of different injuries and because part of her still fled her prison. But she remembered that the interest in her branded skin had been more along the lines of heading off a virulent infection rather than what it looked like let alone meant. Until one man showed up along with Jonathan with a camera and took photos of her shoulder while she lay dying on a bed.

"What do you think it is," someone said.

"It's like tattooing the ear of a cow when you ship it out of state," Jonathan said, "It looks like some sort of trafficking took place to me."

"But who and how," the man asked.

Jonathan shook his head.

"We might never know now that the infection has changed its shape and design."

"Too bad," the man said.

C.J. remembered hearing anger in Jonathan's voice.

"No it's too bad that she's fading fast and there's not much left in the arsenal to save her life."

Then C.J. heard a woman's voice chiding the men in the room.

"There will be no talk like that in front of the patient," she said, "Don't you know she can hear everything that is said in here. Shame on you, now shoo."

The men left and the next thing that C.J. remembered was a cool, soft hand on her face and the gentle voice of singing.

* * *

C.J. looked up at Antonio.

"I remember them talking about it," she said, "I think one of them was Jonathan but they couldn't make out what it was or what it meant either."

"It's a brand that belongs to someone else," Antonio said, "That's all that can definitively be said and that person is probably looking for his property."

"Or he might be pressuring Andre to deliver it for him," she said, "hence the high bounty."

"The problem is if this third party also winds up down here and that will be an extra problem that we might be ill-equipped to deal with if it happens."

"So that might put us all in danger," she said.

"Maybe," he said, "does Matt know about the brand?"

She shook her head.

"I think maybe it's time you told him."

"I don't know how he'd take it," she said, "Everything I told him has been so hard on him."

"But he needs to know about this," Antonio said, "and you need to be the one to tell him."

She nodded, finally.

* * *

Andre sat in his office, having gotten off the phone with the Jaguar, who had called him asking for a progress report on when he would be receiving his merchandise. Soon, Andre had told him to get him off the phone because even after months searching, Andre's men still hadn't reported many solid leads on tracking down C.J. He had to step up his efforts, send out more men and locate her quickly and soon.

Then he gets repeated contacts from Scott Prescow, a man he believed he had washed his hands of, insisting that he knew where C.J. and her protector, Matt had been hiding out all these months. He also knew that somehow his former accountant had gotten wind that another interested party was also in the process of hunting for C.J. Andre hoped that Scott wasn't savvy enough to play the two organizations against each other in some form of macabre auction. But with Scott, he could never be sure because the man had a history of being a loose cannon who couldn't be trusted.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. He had brought the Jaguar in personally to inspect the merchandise and the Jaguar had liked what he had seen, so he offered to consolidate all the debt that Andre owed him into that one purchase. Andre hadn't wanted to surrender his favored possession at first so Jaguar had offered up an alternative, a younger girl, which Andre had flatly vetoed. He still offered other concessions to Jaguar but they were all turned down and finally Andre had to agree or risk having Jaguar bring his men to take over his part of the operation, which was encharged with the acquisition of human beings for sale.

So before Andre he had left on his latest business trip, he had the merchandise coded and its shipping orders signed off. Then he had walked away towards his Lear Jet without a second look. But then she had escaped which had infuriated him and jeopardized his entire operation. And despite several close calls, she had eluded him since. In order to hold onto everything that he had spent years building for himself in the shadows of his respectable life, his luck had to change.

He picked up the phone and made the call.

"Hello, Mr. Prescow?"

Scott looked at his phone in minor shock.

"Yes, this is he and you must be Andre Duval."

"Yes, I received a message that you had called me," he said, "I have a few minutes between conference calls so if you could be quick to tell me your business."

"It's too important to be told haphazardly," Scott said, "I'm sure when you've heard my news, you'll agree."

"I'm a busy man so just tell me your news."

"I know where C.J. is right now."

Andre paused.

"Is this a joke you speak because if it is I am not a man known for a sense of humor," he said.

Scott had learned about that facet of his former employer only too well.

"I understand and this isn't a joke," he said, "In fact, C.J. and Matt Houston are currently hanging out in the Caribbean. "

Andre sighed.

"Where in the Caribbean," he said, "It's a very big place."

Scott thought about it.

"I'm still in the process of pinpointing an exact location," he said, "It might take a little time."

"How much time," Andre said.

"Well that depends," Scott said, "Because there's another interested party here who is also searching for your missing woman."

This time Andre's silence was longer.

"I see," he said, "Okay name your price that you want to pay for this information."

"I haven't talked to the other party yet," he said, "After I gauge his interest, I'll get back to you with an estimate."

"How do I know that what you speak is the truth," Andre said.

"Come on, I already procured her for you once," Scott said, "I can do so again or I can do it for the other interested buyer."

"I'll think about it and then I will get back to you," Andre said.

"That will work," Scott said, "Look forward to possibly doing business with you."

* * *

Scott hung up the phone and wanted to dance in his office, not believing how easy this phone call had been and how damned good he was at playing these games. If he played his cards right, he could make a killing and fly out of the country to live in any country of his choice, any one of the number of them without extradition treaties with the United States. There was no longer any need to think of making any kind of deal with the feds. He had just set forth the operation that by its end, would set him free a very wealthy man.

Andre clicked off his phone, marveling a bit at the gall of his former employee to actually think that he would be pulling anything over on Andre. He was fairly sure that Scott had some idea where C.J. was hiding but probably knew very little about the existence of Jaguar but Andre still had to proceed cautiously. He would place some phone calls to his compound in the Caribbean and notify them that he would be heading down there to conduct a search of the region with his own people, choosing not to rely on Scott who had already proven to be a known risk for future betrayal. He also decided to put a couple of men to tail Scott in Houston to keep tabs on what he was up to and he could leave those two men with instructions to await an order from him to enforce a more permanent resolution to the problem of Scott Prescow.

* * *

C.J. sat in the bungalow, looking at her shoulder. She had kept it hidden for so long both under her clothing and in the recesses of her mind. She heard the door open and Matt walked in the bungalow. He saw her sitting on the couch and he joined her.

"What have you been thinking about," Matt said, "You're worried about this operation?"

She shook her head.

"Are you worried that Andre might get the upper hand on us if he does come down here?"

She nodded.

"I've always been concerned about that," she said, "I've never stopped being scared of him."

He sighed.

"I know," he said, "but we're going to put his operations into the past and any hold he has over you will go with it."

She grew quiet.

"It's not just him that I'm worried about," she said.

He nodded.

"You're worried about the other guy looking for you."

"That he'll be drawn into all the commotion down here and join in," she said, "I think he's just as bad as Andre or worse."

"But you don't remember much about him, do you?"

She shook her head.

"No, I don't," she said, "I don't know if I ever will."'

"Then why do you believe he might be the greater threat," Matt asked.

She looked at him a very long time and then past him. Finally she remembered where she was sitting.

"I've got something to show you," she said.

And then she rolled up her sleeve.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61---The latest installment of this very long fanfiction. I hope you like reading it and thanks for the comments.

* * *

Matt's eyes widened when he looked at the ugly mark on her shoulder, next to the bullet wound she had received when both of them had been fleeing assassins in a building while trying to prove that Matt hadn't murdered an innocent woman. He reached out to touch the twisted flesh but when he saw her flinch, he pulled his hand back.

"What is it," he asked, after a while.

She took a while to answer him and kept her emotions in check.

"It's a brand," she said, "It was given to me not long before I escaped."

He looked at it closer, trying to make out the details but saw that some had faded and others were just missing.

"It's not the chimera," he said.

She shook her head.

"No, it's not," she said, "I'm not sure what it was."

Matt swallowed hard.

"How did they do it," he said.

"Andre was getting ready to leave for a business trip after the first time I tried to escape," she started, "and at first he told me he was going to kill me when he returned to set an example."

"But he changed his mind?"

She put her hands over her eyes.

"He told me he had decided to let me live. I had resigned myself to death at that point so I didn't know what to think because anything that Andre had planned to keep me alive would be worse than death," she said.

He narrowed his eyes.

"You wanted to die?"

She bent her head down.

"Yes…No…I don't know," she said, "but he didn't tell me much about what he planned instead. In fact, he told me he hadn't decided but that I would know soon enough," she said.

Matt struggled to get his next question out.

"So was that before he decided to give you this brand?"

She nodded.

"Right after he left me, two more men came in my room," she said, "One of them held me down and the other branded that emblem into my shoulder. I don't remember much of it because I passed out cold but when I woke up, it was on my shoulder."

"Did you see what it looked like," he asked.

I tried to look at it, but it was too swollen and reddened to make anything out," she said, "and then it got infected."

Matt paused for a moment.

"Was that why you almost died?"

She looked away and then nodded.

"By the time I had escaped, it was very painful and I started feeling sick," she said, "By the time they got me to the ranch, I was nearly dead."

Matt closed his eyes.

"So they must have debrided it to get rid of the infection," he said, "which is why not much of it is left."

She closed her eyes, remembering that process.

"That's why I can't figure out what symbol they used," she said, "Not much that's recognizable."

"What did it mean," he said, "Did anyone tell you?"

She sighed.

"It's a proof of ownership," she said, "They brand us like cattle so that other traffickers and their customers know who owns us."

"Do they have a database of these brands anywhere," he asked.

She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Not much of one to work with," she said, "They said so much of this trafficking is still underground, but there wasn't enough of mine left to match anything in the database."

"Do you remember anything about this other man?"

She thought about it, her eyes resigned to reliving bad memories just to find the one she needed.

"Nothing," she said, "I have some parts of memories which are missing and I have a feeling some of them have to do with him."

"They may come back," he said.

Her eyes grew cold and her body shivered.

"I don't want them to," she said, "but I know I have to remember or I could put this entire operation at risk if he shows up and I don't know it."

Matt looked at her troubled face a long time, wanting to reach out to touch her but she had closed herself off again.

"Why didn't you tell me about this," he said.

She looked at him, her eyes weary.

"Because what's on my arm is proof positive to the world that I'm no longer a person," she said, "I'm not who I was, I'm just a piece of property to be bought and sold. Unless you've been there, it's really hard to understand."

He grabbed her arms and this time she let him.

"You're a very special and wonderful woman who doesn't belong to anyone," he said, "The men who did this kidnapped you off a street…"

"It doesn't matter to them," she said, "They still own me."

"Maybe they planned it that way, but you escaped from them," Matt said, "and you're here and you're safe with me and a group of people who are going to help you."

"I know that," she said, "but now there's two enemies to fight and they're both ruthless men, because men of that type had a tendency to do business with each other. And I'm caught in the middle of both of them."

"Then we'll deal with one of them at a time," Matt said, "and Andre should be coming down to Sapphire Island pretty soon if our plan worked. Then he'll launch his search for you in the much larger range of the Caribbean from his headquarters."

She nodded.

"That was the plan," she said, "I just hope we're ready for him when he does arrive because if we aren't, it will be all over before it's begun."

* * *

Antonio waited for her in the courtyard, anticipation flooding through his body at the thought of seeing her again. He looked at his watch again and saw that he still had five minutes to wait until she arrived. He had taken a boat out to the island purportedly to attend a security meeting with one of Andre's new security directors at his island compound but that meeting had been short because Andre's new hire had been fairly up to speed on what changes were being made at the compound, in anticipation of a party that was going to be held there. One with a list of guests held under lock and key and which the location of had only been decided upon several days earlier. Uneasiness crossed Antonio's face as he wondered what Andre was planning and how this party might impact their own plans to infiltrate the compound.

Suddenly, the corner of his eye caught movement and he saw her walking into the courtyard carrying a book to sit on the bench, which she did every afternoon at about this time after a full morning spent at the desk as Andre's administrative assistant. He walked slowly over to where she sat and she looked up at him and smiled.

"Antonio," she said, "You made it."

He smiled back at his sister.

"Elena, I would never pass up an opportunity to see you."

She looked around the courtyard picking up some of his mannerisms, wanting to make sure that no one was there to see them together.

"Were you followed," he asked.

She shook her head.

"I have a special path that I take," she said, "And what about you, were you followed?"

"No," he said, "I just came from a meeting with Andre's head of security."

She nodded.

"I see," she said, "He must be very anxious about now."

"I noticed that when we met," Antonio said, "Does it have to do with a party that Antonio has planned?"

She nodded.

"I was assigned by him to work on the…logistics and planning for this party only for weeks I knew not who to invite and not where it would take place."

She shook her head.

"That's an odd way to organize a party, don't you think?"

He agreed.

"Something else is going on here," he said, "But the point is, Andre's coming to his compound which is exactly what we wanted."

Elena sighed.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," she said, "He's been nothing but kind to me since I've known him."

Antonio sighed.

"He bought you from our father," he said, "You belong to him."

"But I'm well-fed and well-cared for," she said, "and he's never laid a hand on me."

"But he's hurt many other women including C.J.," Antonio said, "He's even had her branded."

Elena sat up straighter.

"What," she said, "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Traffickers like Andre do it to claim ownership of their stock," Antonio said, "But C.J.'s wearing another brand so she no longer belongs to him but to another trafficker."

Her face grew troubled.

"I see," she said, "I've been on the phone with a man who keeps calling Andre about missing property that he was to have received but that disappeared some time ago."

"Who was he," Antonio said, "Did he leave a name?"

She shook her head.

"I don't remember a name," she said, "He must have though."

"Where's a copy of the party list," Antonio asked.

"I don't know," she said, "The security team just got it. I'm still waiting and I'm the one who still has to send out the invitations."

Antonio digested this information that she had given him.

"Are you sure this is really a party that they're planning," he asked.

* * *

Scott still felt buoyed enough by his business dealings that he wore a smile on his face the rest of the day. He passed the break room and saw both Chris and Roy sitting inside having coffee.

"So how's your day been," he asked, going to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottled water.

"We're doing fine," Chris said, sipping her coffee, "You seem like you're in a good mood this morning."

He sat down next to them.

"Yes I guess you could say that this day is looking good," he said, "I've got not just one but two possible business deals pending."

Roy looked at him carefully.

"Will they help or sink the company," he asked.

Scott scowled.

"You don't seem to have much faith in me old man," he said, "but you're wrong about my business acumen."

Roy sighed and shook his head.

"Perhaps I'm wrong about that," he said, "but I'm not wrong about your ethics or rather your complete lack of them."

Scott laughed.

"There's nothing wrong with my ethics," he said, "Since I've been here, the company's shares have doubled."

Chris tried not to smile.

"Scott, that's Murray's doing, not yours," she said, "On the other hand, since you've been here, the CEO had knocked your butt flat on the floor and it took you some time to get yourself back up."

Scott looked pained at the reminder of that episode which took place the last time he had seen Matt.

"Must you keep bringing that unfortunate incident up," he said, "I've forgotten about it already."

"I'm sure Matt hasn't," Chris said, "especially if he finds any connection between some business calls you made and C.J.'s disappearance."

Scott's face paled and he tried to hide it. Chris and Roy both noticed it and looked at each other.

"I had nothing to do with C.J.'s disappearance," he insisted, "I'm just as upset about it as everyone else."

Chris laughed derisively.

"I'm sure about that," she said, "I'm sure even the feds have figured out that you nearly got her and her friend Julia not to mention a future U.S. Marshal killed when you bailed out on Andre Duval after taking some of his merchandise."

"I did nothing of the sort," he said, "That was a huge misunderstanding."

"Then how come even when they held your friends hostage, no one could find you," Chris said.

"They must not have looked very hard," he said, "I was in the apartment."

Chris shook her head, incredulously.

"That's the first place Andre sent one of his thugs to look for you," she said, "You weren't there. They were going to probably kill Jonathan and take C.J. and Julia in trade for what you stole."

"Like I told you, I had nothing to do with that," he said.

"And then when things looked like they couldn't get any worse, Duval's connections came out to clean up your situation and set fire to an old house with innocent people trapped inside of it, not caring if they lived or died."

Scott blanched slightly at that but still held his cool.

"This Andre Duval sounds like an evil man," he said, "but he has nothing to do with me except through your innuendos and false accusations."

Roy looked at the younger man, disdain in his eyes.

"We'll just see about that," he said, "I think if we watch the actions of Duval very closely, it will explain an awful lot about where his alliances lie."

Scott looked up at them in shock.

"What do you mean?"

"It means for your sake, he'd better not suddenly decide to take some vacation days in let's say, the Caribbean?"

Scott laughed nervously.

"Obviously that's supposed to mean something," he said, "but for the like, I can't figure out what."

Chris shook her head.

"Oh you know what we're talking about," she said, "Everyone in this room knows."

* * *

Jonathan rubbed his forehead to get rid of the latest headache given to him courtesy of Agt. Denton. The FBI agent had just called him about the detail that they had sent out to canvass the Caribbean in what Jonathan knew was a futile attempt to locate Matt and C.J. If they were indeed hiding out there, they had picked their region well. Anyone of a hundred or so uncharted islands could be home for them right now. Jonathan wasn't that worried that the FBI's team would find them, in fact he doubted that they would even come close. Just a waste of energy all around while the real criminals, the traffickers, ran around doing their business freely.

He had also received a phone call from ICE which was mopping up its own investigation into what had happened up in Washington State. Even with Brad and Sally working tirelessly on identifying the dead, only about one-third of the bodies found in the mass graves near the destroyed compound had been identified, mostly through DNA. Most of them had been women who had left home in hopes of finding high-paying and glamorous jobs as actors and models and were never seen again. Several of them had been kidnapped, usually from shopping mall parking lots. None of them had appeared to be specific targets of Duval's men with C.J. so far being the lone exception.

Brad stuck his head in the door.

"I don't know how long it's going to take to get the second round of DNA test results back," he said.

Jonathan sighed. That would slow down the identification process even more.

"Didn't we ask to expedite the results?"

Brad nodded.

"I guess for them, taking four more weeks to hand them over means that they've been expedited."

Jonathan nodded.

"Well tell them to do the best they can," he said, "We've still got over 2/3 of the bodies with no IDs and a lot of unhappy families wanting closure."

Sally stuck her head in the office.

"I just got word from the FBI," she said, "Andre Duval is on his way to the Caribbean on his private jet."

Jonathan scratched his head.

"How would they know," he asked.

"Duval filed a flight plan from JFK when he arrived there from Brussells."

Jonathan's mind worked quickly.

"He must know that's where C.J. and Matt are located," he said, "but how did he learn so quickly. I mean we just learned…"

Brad's eyes shot up.

"Do you think it's another leak in the office?"

Jonathan closed his eyes.

"Damn I hope not," he said, "this division is supposed to be cleaned up after those embarrassing incidents a while back."

"More could have infiltrated or have been here this whole time and not been located during the probe," Brad said.

Jonathan sighed.

"Okay, now we've definitely got to send a team ourselves down there," he said, "because I think it's pretty clear why Andre Duval has a sudden yen to visit the islands."

"Does he have a compound down there," Brad asked.

"I don't know," Jonathan said, "I think we need to find out as quickly as possible."

* * *

C.J. and Matt joined Novelli and some off the others on the fishing boat, trying to ready it for the trip down to Sapphire island and to make sure it performed well.

"We'll do all that," Novelli said, "and get some fishing in on the side. Sounds like a perfect day to me."

Both Matt and C.J. laughed at his enthusiasm.

Brady and Zeke stepped up from beneath the deck.

"Everything's looking great down there," he said, "We had to replace some old parts and thump on some others but everything's ship-shape now."

And so they had taken the boat out into the ocean, past the other fishing vessels out into the horizon. C.J. stood at the mast as she always did, closing her eyes when the mist cast up by the boat cutting through the ocean brushed her face.

"It's so relaxing out here," she said, "I would just like to take off and leave everything else on shore."

"I can't argue against that," Matt said, "We could just take off and keep sailing."

She turned to face him. He looked back at her, serious.

"I'm tempted, I really am," she said, "but we'd have to take a detour to Houston and pack up our friends to join us first."

"Now there's a plan," he said, "Then we could sail around the world, living off the fish we could catch and sell."

C.J. laughed.

"We'd have to catch a lot of fish."

"Yeah, we would," he said, "and our most talented fisherman Novelli has to go back to his family sometime before his mother comes after him."

C.J. just looked out into the ocean.

"I miss Houston," she said.

"We're getting closer to going back," Matt said.

She sighed.

"Maybe, some day, I'll be able to go back there," she said.

"When Andre's where he belongs," he said, "You will be able to go back."

She turned to look at him.

"Always looking over my shoulder," she said, "for whoever put his mark on my shoulder."

Matt paused for a long time, unable to answer. He knew that once word spread that Andre was heading to the Caribbean compound that might arouse the attention of the unknown trafficker also looking for C.J. And if he followed Andre, would that jeopardize their plans?

Even the most carefully laid out plan could go awry if another individual crashed it. Antonio would be coming back from his rendezvous on Sapphire Island hopefully with information which would prove useful. They would have to have a discussion about putting in a contingency plan if C.J.'s new owner showed up.

"It's going to work out," he said, "and we'll all be able to go back to our lives without looking back."

She nodded slowly wanting to believe him but he knew she still held tremendous doubt that she even had a future let alone with him in it. And Matt realized he was at a loss for how to change her mind.

* * *

Andre picked up the phone while flying on his jet over the United States.

"Hello, Andre," his caller said.

"Jaguar," Andre said, putting down his glass of scotch.

"Surely you aren't surprised to hear from me," he said.

"No, your phone call is right on schedule," Andre said, "and I might have some good news for you about your…missing property."

"Ah, you have found it?"

"Not as of yet," Andre said.

Jaguar sighed.

"We go back many years even before we started doing business together," he said, "but that said, the only news I'm interested in hearing from you is that you've found her."

"We got a lead of where she might be and we're checking it out."

"And where is this possible location," Jaguar asked.

"The Caribbean," Andre said, "which is good timing actually because I'm throwing a party at my compound there later this week and you're on the guest list."

Jaguar laughed.

"I'm well familiar with your style of parties," he said, "but I will RSVP that a delegation of mine will be attending."

"And what about you?"

"I have some business to tie up in the Ukraine," he said, "As soon as that's completed, I'll make my appearance."

"You won't be disappointed," Andre said.

"I surely won't if my merchandise is at that party waiting for my pickup," Jaguar said, "I'll keep in touch."

Andre hung up the phone, shaking his head. He knew Jaguar would be greatly displeased if he appeared at the compound in person and Andre hadn't anything to give him. With the party only days away, Andre knew he had to redouble his efforts to locate his quarry. He pulled out a worn picture of the young woman who had eluded him for months.

"I will find you," he said, "There's no place for you to hide down here and Jaguar will have his prize."


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62---Here's the latest chapter of this fanfiction. I'm sorry it's gotten so long! But I'm working on the final part of it. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

Jonathon sighed as he looked at the food that Rhonda had brought in from their favorite Tex-Mex restaurant. After putting the bags on the table, she put her hands on her hips.

"You were supposed to meet me," she said, "What happened?"

He started pulling covered containers out of the bags.

"What else," he responded, "I got held up at the office."

She sat down as he laid the food out on a corner of his desk. Both reached to place their favorite dishes on their plates, their hands touching. She pulled out some bottles of soda as well.

"I know you've been working hard on this case with C.J.," Rhonda said, taking a soda, "but you shouldn't be working at the expense of everything else in your life."

He looked up at her and laughed.

"This is my life," he said, "but I chose it. I wouldn't do anything else."

"But you seem so frustrated at times," she said, "like you want to just walk out the door and never come back."

He gazed at her thoughtfully as he stuck his fork on his plate.

"I've thought about it a lot," he admitted, "I've even got that resignation letter written that I've kept in my drawer…"

Her eyes widened at that statement.

"Wow, it sounds like you have done a lot of thinking."

He nodded.

"It's days like these past ones when Agent Denton…"

"The FBI agent," she said, "He seems a bit intense…"

"Tell me about it," Jonathon said, "They're so focused on going after Matt for keeping C.J. away from the grand jury inquisition and they've got two traffickers running around trying to find her."

Rhonda shook her head.

"I can't understand that kind of thinking," she said, "Isn't it supposed to be about going after the bad guys and helping the good people?"

"Most of the time, yes," Jonathan said, "but sometimes it gets all twisted up. It's not clear where the lines of good and bad are drawn…"

She put her fork down.

"You're not saying that you think C.J. and Matt are doing anything wrong," Rhonda said, "She's trying to keep alive and he's trying to help her."

"That's a natural response from him to do that," Jonathan said, "He's always been very protective of her."

"He cares about her," Rhonda said, "I think a lot more than he's willing to admit."

"I agree. I've always believed that," Jonathan said, "but regardless, that puts two federal agencies in a bind over one joint investigation."

"Involving the two traffickers?"

Jonathan chewed his chicken thoughtfully.

"We've got very little on either," he said, "I believe Andre, is leading the Chimera ring. I did get some good intel on them this morning from Interpol and some other foreign intelligent agencies. There wasn't much about that ring known by U.S. law enforcement agencies, not even ICE."

"Well, there's some progress," Rhonda said.

"I've told you more than once how slow and methodical these investigations can be," Jonathan said, "It can take months or longer to nail a big time crook."

"But at least you believe Andre's in that category," she said.

He nodded.

"I always did," he said, "It's the other branches of my office and the DOJ that have trouble with it because of his connections with the consulate of his country. Not to mention he's a very smooth and slick businessman who keeps his real line of work way under the radar."

"I don't have trouble believing that," she said, "Andre Duval's a very smooth customer. Very charismatic at that charity ball he threw a while back."

"It's all surface," Jonathan said, "The guy's as ruthless as they come if he's heading Chimera."

"And the other guy," she asked, "Where does he fit in?"

"Rhonda…"

"No Jonathan," she said, "I've had experience of my own with prostitution rings including one that Andre was apparently in charge of. Talk about a small world!"

"The human trafficking business can seem that way," he said, "when you're talking about the major players."

"So is this other guy a major player?"

Jonathan paused and something made him tell her. He just wasn't sure what it was.

"Maybe even bigger fish than Andre," he said, "Andre might have been his procurer of women while at the same time trying to build his own operation. This other guy heads up the Jaguar ring and this one's been around a lot longer and is still growing exponentially around the world. "

"So what does Andre do for him?"

"I imagine he finds him the women and sends or sells him the best of the lot," Jonathan said, "Then this head of the Jaguar ring ships most of them to Europe."

Rhonda frowned.

"And this guy, he's the one who bought C.J.," she said, "Why would Andre sell her after he went through so much to get her?"

"That's one question we've not answered yet."

* * *

Elena took the phone from her assistant not wanting to keep Andre waiting too long on the line.

"Yes, I received the list of people attending the party," she said, "Do you want me to send out more formalized invitations this time?"

"That will be acceptable," Andre said, "Tell them that the instructions for the location of the party will be communicated to them several days before the event."

"Do you think that will be something that these guests will be able to accommodate in their schedules," Elena said, "Such short notice?"

"It's for security reasons, Elena," he said, "Surely they'll understand and most of them are wealthy enough to tell their jet pilots to change direction on a moment's notice."

"Okay," she said, writing down his instructions, "I've got the menu all planned and the caterers I assume will be notified as well about the location?"

"Yes," Andre said, "Are there any other messages from me?"

"None that can't wait until you arrive," she said, "It will be good to see you back here again."

"It'll be good to be back," he said, "This will be a very special party, Elena. A time to reveal a new direction in our business."

"Should we add people from our charity rosters to the guest list," she asked.

"No," Andre said, "these party guests will be from a different business crowd of people. A very select group of people."

* * *

C.J. sat on the beach after a particularly hard run through the jungle. She trailed her fingers through the sand as she thought about what lie ahead. She felt guilty for taking so long to tell Matt about the tattoo but she felt deeply ashamed of it, even though it had been done against her will. She looked at the infection which nearly took her life months ago as a mixed blessing. At least, it had taken a portion of the brand away as well so there wasn't much left to look at.

She remembered sitting up in bed one day at the ranch house and ripping off the bandage to see what was left. Thea had insisted that she rebandage it and keep it clean until it healed entirely and she had done that without taking another look at it. She kept the memory of it so far in the back of her mind, back with everything else she had crammed back there that she didn't want to acknowledge as part of her history. For a long time, she had assumed that it had been Andre's mark, but now she knew that wasn't true. Now, she was left with more unanswered questions and the realization that not knowing the truth could do one of two things, save your life or get you killed. And at this point, C.J. didn't know which it would be.

As she took a worn stick and dug a hole in the sand, she struggled with fragments of memories tied with the brand on her shoulder. Not much really, the image of a tall man. The cologne he wore. The sound of his clipped accented voice. Anything else about him, she had no memory of that she could retrieve for further examination.

"So there you are," a voice said.

She looked up and saw Matt heading towards her.

"You missed lunch," he said, sitting beside her with a bag.

"What did I miss," she asked, looking at him.

"Some sandwiches," he said, "and almond cookies."

She took a sandwich from him and unwrapped it.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I was out running and then I decided to just sit and relax a while. Maybe it would help me remember what I need to."

"C.J., I don't want you to be sitting with your memories by yourself."

She looked at him and saw the concern etched on his face.

"You shouldn't worry," she said, "Besides, I couldn't remember anything, not about the brand anyway. Whatever happened is still elusive to me."

"If you were drugged," he said, "Those memories might not be coming back."

"But they could," she said, "I'd rather be waiting for them and ready than have them sneak up on me."

"I'd rather have you not be alone either way," he said.

"It might just have to be and just live with that," she said, "Has Antonio returned yet?"

He shook his head.

"He's on his way back though," he said, "and hopefully he'll have some information that can help us."

"We'll need some inside information," C.J. said, "Andre likes to change things around. Any intelligence is going to have to be recent."

"I wonder how tapped into things Elena is," Matt said, "He's also meeting with her."

"He knows it's not safe," she said, "so he must believe that any information she does have could be very important."

* * *

Antonio sailed back on his boat, away from Sapphire Island. He already missed his sister who he had just found, very much but the information that she had provided along with that he had gotten from other sources on his mission would prove very helpful to any operation they launched against his compound. And news that Andre would be hosting a party there might provide them with the perfect opportunity to strike. Without seeing the guest list, Antonio couldn't be certain what kind of party Andre had planned and for what clientele but given the secrecy shrouding the event, he doubted it involved another charity gala. More like an opportunity for Andre to stamp himself higher up in the hierarchy of his business industry, which meant that his business partners and perhaps one or two of his business rivals would attend as well.

Thinking around the parameters of that situation, he knew that it could be good or bad for their operation. It could serve as a means to do more damage to Andre's business and it could be helpful in freeing C.J. from her nightmare once and for all particularly if the trafficker she now belonged to showed up as well. Then they could deal with both of them in one blow. But if he did show up, it could make the situation more precarious for her and the others as well. The problem was, that they couldn't include this individual into their strategy because it would be doubtful whether they would even know whether or not he was attending until they reached the compound.

And then there was his sister, who could be caught in the middle of what could be violence that would take place when Andre and his men discovered their intrusion. That part of the operation was inevitable and Antonio spent many of his nights thinking about how best to protect Elena. He had lost one sister already because he failed to find her in time and now he had a chance with his other and he wasn't about to let history repeat itself. Whatever happened that night they went to Sapphire Island to bring Andre down, his sister would be leaving with him and they would never be separated again.

Antonio lay back in his boat, letting it carry him back to the others, so that he could pass on the information that he had gathered. He knew that it would soon be time to put everything they had planned and strategized for into action.

* * *

"Does this Jaguar guy have a name," Rhonda asked, as she finished up her meal.

"We don't know what his real name is," Jonathan said, "We know he's currently based in Eastern Europe, probably in the Ukraine."

"That's a hot bed for sex trafficking," Rhonda said.

"One of the top sources for women that are funneled though that industry," Jonathan said.

"So does he travel around a lot like Andre," she said.

Jonathan shrugged.

"I would imagine so," he said, "Until we can figure out who he is, we don't know if he's been in this country. We did have a taped meeting between someone we suspect might be him and Andre, but no proof and we don't know if he's from the Jaguar ring."

"What was the meeting about," Rhonda asked.

"Probably the sex trade," Jonathan said, "It didn't seem like it had anything to do with his cover business."

"So what about Andre," she said, "Where do you think he hangs his hat?"

"He's probably got compounds all over the world," Jonathan said, "Like the one in Washington State."

"What about around here," she said.

"It's doubtful he spends much time in the United States," Jonathan said.

"I would think at this time of year he'd be wintering some place really warm," Rhonda said, finishing off her soda.

Jonathan looked at her puzzled.

"What are you saying," he said.

She tried to appear casual.

"Oh just that if I had a choice and tons of money, I'd stay away from icy cold places and head towards the tropics or at least some warm islands," Rhonda said.

"So you think Andre Duval is thinking that way," he asked.

"No… just that many wealthy, well-traveled men in his position might," she said.

Jonathan looked at her a long moment.

"Actually, we think he might be heading towards a compound in the Caribbean," he said.

Rhonda looked up, trying to keep a straight expression on her face.

"Really," she said, "Well, there you go."

She wondered what Chris and Fran would say when they got that news.

* * *

Matt sat on the steps of the house drinking a beer. Novelli got one for himself and sat down next to him.

"Your wife sending out a search posse for you yet," Matt said.

Novelli pulled the tab on his can.

"She's still busy with Mama and a bunch of her sisters," he said, "They're packing for a girls' weekend out on the Keys."

"Then it sounds like you're safer here," Matt said, "but you must miss them."

Novelli nodded.

"Of course I do," he said, "but they understand why I'm here. Why it's so important to help my closest friends when they need me. We'll all be back together again when it's done."

"This could be a very dangerous mission Vince," Matt warned him.

"Aren't they all in their own ways," Vince said with a shrug, "We'll just have to be more careful in our planning with this operation before we execute it. There's a lot of factors we can't predict for."

Matt looked at him, soberly.

"That's what worries me Vince," he said, "That we won't be able to prepare ourselves enough for this one."

"That's a new concern for you," Novelli noted, "You're usually pretty confident about what you plan to do."

Matt paused for a long while.

"I don't want C.J. hurt by what we plan to do," he said, "She's been hurt enough already, in ways she might never recover from."

"Oh she will recover," Novelli said, "C.J.'s one of the most resilient women I know. She's had to be to keep up with you."

"You haven't heard what she has talked about," Matt said, "About everything that happened, that was done to her."

"Matt, she's been through probably one of the worst experiences anyone can go through," Novelli said, "but she knows what she has to do to make herself feel whole again. She needs some time and a little space to do that."

"I've given her plenty of space," Matt said.

"She needs enough so she doesn't spend her time worrying about you," Novelli said, "yet she also needs to know that you're there when she does need you. And that can be a tricky balancing act."

Matt's resolve remained firm.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help her find her way back," he said.

"And what if she can't," Novelli said, "What if she has to build something new instead?"

"Like I said, whatever it takes," Matt said, "but I want this mission to be as safe as it possibly can be for her."

"I'm sure we're going to do the best to try and avoid any unnecessary danger" Novelli said, "but she's a pivotal part of what's going to happen and there's no avoiding that."

Matt looked at his beer.

"I know that Vince," he said "but I don't like it."

Vince studied his old friend for a time.

"Maybe participating in his operation is less dangerous for her in the long run than if she doesn't," he said.

Matt looked up.

"What do you mean," he said.

"It's risky work to carry an operation like this out for everyone involved," Novelli said, "but there's a chance that it could give her some kind of closure. She's been through a nightmare the past months and she deserves a chance at that to play a role of beginning to put it behind her."

"To do her own rescuing instead of being rescued," Matt said.

"Yeah, something like that," Novelli said, "I think she needs to feel that she can save herself rather than rely on others to do so."

Matt nodded, taking in his friend's wisdom as he wished he had more often when they worked more closely together.

"Vince, it's sure great to share an adventure with you again," Matt said, sipping his beer, "I feel much better with you having my back."

"I just wish the circumstances were better, "Novelli said, "but maybe the bunch of us can turn them around."

* * *

Antonio walked off of his boat and ran into C.J. who still sat on the beach looking out into the ocean. She looked up and brushed her hair back when she saw him.

"What did you find out," she asked.

"Duval is on his way to his compound," Antonio said, "He'll be there in the next day or so."

"To come and look for us, right?"

Antonio hedged.

"He's also planning on throwing some kind of party," he said, "but the guest list is being kept under lock and key and the guests themselves won't know the location until just shortly before."

C.J. nodded.

"Security measures no doubt," she said, "What kind of party?"

Antonio looked away.

"I imagine it's for business reasons," he said, "Andre's trying to expand his role in the human trafficking trade and he's invited both his partners and some of his rivals, I would imagine."

"Other traffickers," C.J. guessed.

Antonio nodded.

"Including the one who's looking for you."

C.J. tried to keep her voice calm.

"That wouldn't be unexpected would it," she said, brushing off her hands.

He paused.

"Maybe you should rethink your involvement in this operation."

Her eyes fired back at him.

"I can't," she said, "I'm already involved, I've been involved whether I've wanted it or not," she said, "I want to go in, finish it and really know that it's over."

"That will work better for you if the other guy shows," Antonio said, "of course it's going to make it more dangerous too."

C.J. sighed wearily, lifting herself up off the sand.

"I can deal with that when the time comes," she said, "I have to. There's really no other way."

"And what if the other guy doesn't show…"

She ran her hand through her hair and looked at him, sadness and fear mixed in her eyes.

"Then I'll have to deal with that too," she said.

He started to follow her as she began walking.

"Running isn't going to solve anything," he said, "You'll be away from those who can best protect you."

She turned around.

"I don't even know remember enough to know what I need to be protected from this other guy," she said, "and that makes it more likely that the people around me will just get hurt or killed like they did when they tried to interfere with Andre."

"They all willingly took that chance," Antonio pointed out.

"Yeah, but did they know what was going to happen," C.J. said, "Did Jed know he'd be shot? Did Dan know he'd nearly get killed in an explosion? Did Jonathan know they'd plant a bomb in his car? And Houston…"

"I know," Antonio said, nodding, "You had to shoot a man to save his life."

"He's put everything in his life on the line to try and help me," she said, "but it's getting so complicated now, that he could get hurt and never see it coming."

"From the bad guys or from you?"

His words startled her into silence.

"Are you afraid that his safety's in jeopardy from what he's about to do, or are you worried that you have the capacity to hurt him by how you are responding to your own memories of what happened?"

She looked at Antonio quietly.

"Both, I guess," she said, "and sometimes I can't decide which is worse."

"C.J., shutting him out because you think that you're not the woman he knows isn't going to help him," Antonio said, "and it's going to be dangerous either way and he's trained and experienced enough to know that going in."

She nodded.

"He's putting himself in for a lot of pain," she said, "and I just don't want to be the cause of it. I saw the look in his eyes when I showed him the brand."

Antonio sighed.

"It's just because he cares for you so much," he said, "and doesn't want to see you hurt. But it doesn't mean you turn away."

"I don't want him hurt," she said, "if I've got two men to worry about looking for me and not one."

He grabbed her shoulder.

"If you've got two of them, then if you're alone off by yourself because you can't hide from these guys,"he said, "Then what's going to happen to you is what's going to cause him pain that he might never recover from because he had a chance to help you and couldn't."

C.J. looked at him for a while.

"You speak from experience?"

He took a deep breath and his eyes betrayed a hint of turmoil.

"Yes I do," he said, "I feel the same way about Sierra now that he will feel if anything bad happens to you because you isolated yourself off from the people who can help you. And I'll tell you, what I feel now will last me the rest of my life."

"I'm sorry you have to experience that," she said.

"You won't have to be if you think about what I'm saying about my own experience and put some trust in the people around you that they'll be for you no matter what."

Her eyes looked guarded but she nodded.

"I'll give that some serious thought but that's all I can promise," she said as they walked down the beach.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63---This is the latest chapter to a fan fiction. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the comments

* * *

When she was a young girl, C.J. spent part of her summers staying at a beach house in Southern Texas, just next to the Gulf of Mexico. She spent her days walking the shores looking for shells, little creatures like crabs and other shell fish and always, sea glass.

She'd spend mornings from dawn until lunch time searching on her walks for glass spun in different colors that had been been tamed by the sea. Blue, one of the more elusive colors had long been her favorite, though she kept collections of all the different shades, greens, clears, browns and occasional blues in jars next to the cot where she slept.

When she didn't hunt for treasures in the sands, she swam in the ocean's warm waters like a fish until her skin became tanned and her face freckled. Then when the sun became too hot, she'd run and sit under the boardwalk and watch the bare feet of different shades walking by. Listen to snatches of conversation that never made sense and smelling the odors of salt, mixed with sun lotion and barbecue. Sometimes, when she had enough spare change, she'd buy a Popsicle and eat it, watching what was going around her, without being seen.

Life had been tough when her parents died, and tougher still when she moved out of state to live with an uncle who barely knew her. An older man who's wife had passed years earlier who didn't know what to do with the young girl suddenly thrust into his solitary life. So he did what he knew, he treated her like one of his ranch hands. Not that C.J. minded, working with horses and cattle, splitting fences and cleaning tack toughened her heart as much as it did her hands.

The only break in her routine of ranch work had been her schooling but after being suspended during her first week of school in a new town in a new state, she had retreated even further into the ranch. Her trips to the beach to visit her uncle's friend was another place to retreat, from the loss of her parents and the only life she had known. Those two weeks spent by the coast proved to be priceless and she lived for them throughout the year.

Until one day she wandered upon a young boy who she hadn't given more than a passing glance while at school, but who could in a matter of months become her best friend. After she had spotted him fishing in a river that meandered through both of their ranches, she decided that she wanted to be his friend, even though she hadn't admitted it. And in his own way, he had decided the same thing.

She gravitated to him because like her, he worked hard ranching and like her, he had used it to escape from something in his past. Their friendship deepened through the years, surviving stints at different high schools until they were reunited in college.

Years later, C.J. walked down a different beach, a grown woman with a past she desperately wanted both to embrace and to run away from. She still walked or ran through the moist packed sand, occasionally looking for pieces of sea glass and unusual shells and she could still swim like a fish.

She took Antonio's words to heart, knowing that for whatever reason, he sensed the instincts within her that wanted her to run away where no one even those who loved her could ever find her. But he also had gotten to know the part inside of her that had a life she loved dearly that she wanted to reclaim. C.J. lay awake late at nights, first as Kelly Reade and later as herself, wandering what side of her would win. Months later, the answer to that question still eluded her.

The first night that Andre had shoved her to the floor and raped her, claiming what he told her was his to take, she had felt herself split into two different halves which had competed for control of her destiny ever since. She had escaped before Andre could force her into the life that he had made for her but a piece of her still remained behind held captive. That piece revisited her in her dreams where the visions of the horror she had endured intertwined with some of the memories which had defined her life and her relationships to people she cared most about, like Houston. Waking up from that duality of her dreaming often left her more divided than ever.

Even her body had changed. Her time spent with Andre had left her bruised and broken. Her months spent ranching under another name had healed her body and strengthened muscles she thought she had abandoned once she walked away from her uncle's ranch. Her time spent training with Antonio for the mission to get her life back hardened her body even more. If not a lean, mean fighting machine, she had more than honed her soft edges into more sharper definition.

She had been marked by bullet scars in one life; a few more scars and a branded tattoo in the other. In their own ways, both had marked her identity and nearly taken her life at the same time. But the survival instinct which ran inside her remained too strong. It had gotten here through danger, pain and through her trip down a mile or so of icy, raging water with nowhere to cling.

The open ocean held many mysteries and as she peered out, she couldn't see Sapphire Island as her eyes searched up to the horizon. But she knew that he was out there somewhere and he searched for her. And a chill ran through the core of her just at the thought that he might find her. That he might own her body once again.

* * *

Someone touched her shoulder and she flinched.

"Hey, it's just me," a woman said.

C.J. turned around and saw Serena standing next to her.

"Hi," C.J. said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump."

"I shouldn't have crept up on you," she said, "I know what it's like you know."

C.J. narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean," she said.

Serena took a deep breath and C.J. saw a flicker of pain in her blue eyes.

"I was kidnapped by a pirate when I was 14," she said, "and he held me for ransom for three days."

C.J.'s hand went to her face.

"How terrible," she said, "Did he…?"

Serena looked away.

"Yes he did," she said, "I thought I would die each time he assaulted me. I didn't even know what was happening to me, just that I hated it."

"You were just a young girl," C.J. whispered.

"I was finally rescued by a bunch of sailors," Serena said, "including the brother of my late husband. But it took me years and a lot of working on myself until I felt like I could breathe again or feel anything."

"How did you know I was thinking about what happened to me," C.J. asked.

Serena sighed.

"Because you always are," she said, "especially when you're trying not to remember and I think that's something you've been working very hard at."

C.J. rubbed her head.

"I try so hard to…forget," she said, "but every night before I go to sleep, I see his face. I see him telling me what he's going to do and why. How I'm going to be his personal whore in training. How he slapped me when I refused to take my clothes off hard enough to knock me on the ground. I see myself trying to escape only there's no place to go. I try to push him off of me but I can't…He's too strong."

C.J. sunk to the ground and sat there. Serena sat down next to her.

"I had dreams like that too," Serena said, "and I found that the harder I tried to push them away, the more stubborn they became and then they started intruding on my waking life."

C.J. nodded slowly.

"I know that feeling," she said, "A couple of times I've looked at people and not even known who they were."

"That's happens when you can't push your demons away any longer," Serena said, "We all have our breaking points, when we try and try to put our nightmares behind us."

"I tried so hard to do that," she said, "It took all of my energy to try to keep them away."

"Why did you do it," Serena asked, "I know I did it because I thought if I didn't acknowledge the dreams then the rapes never happened."

C.J. wrapped her arms around her.

"I think with me, it's Houston," she said, "I can see what this has done to him since he found out and I hate that I make him feel that way when he looks at me."

"That's only because he cares about you so much," Serena said, "and he knows how badly hurt you are and doesn't know what to do about it."

C.J. hesitated.

"I think it's more than that. I think he blames himself for what happened to me," she said, "and it's not his fault. His going away didn't make bad things happen."

"Well, he felt guilty for leaving his family and friends even before he went back home, before he even knew what happened," Serena admitted, "and it was you he was thinking of most of all."

C.J. felt puzzled at the news. She had assumed that Matt spent most of his travels nursing his wounds after Elizabeth had left him at the altar.

"Me," she said, "Why? I know we weren't on the best of terms after the wedding…"

Serena nodded.

"The one that never took place, right?"

"I tried to stop him from leaving and he still left," C.J. said, "and I think that's why he blames himself for what Andre did. But it could have happened if he had stayed in L.A and if anyone were to blame, it would be me. I wasn't honest with him about a few things myself."

"C.J., you're not to blame either," Serena said, "The man who kidnapped and raped you deserves that by himself."

"That's easier said than done," C.J. said, "and I think in the middle of it, I hurt Houston because he couldn't save me from Andre."

"Isn't it how that always is between two people who both need to do things to heal themselves but don't want to hurt the other?"

C.J. sighed.

"It goes deeper than that," she said, "I never told him about what happened the first time I ran into Andre in Boston and if I had…"

Serena shook her head.

"C.J., you can't go back and rewrite the past the way it should have been," she said, "All you can do is move forward."

"I want to," she said, "but when I see the pain in his eyes when he looks at me. I don't want him to see me as being different. Of being broken and damaged."

Serena rubbed C.J.'s shoulder.

"I don't think he views you as being damaged," she said, "He's very fond of you and yes, it hurts him because of what happened to you but what I saw was a man who had been stung by a stingray and desperately wanted to get back to the woman he cared about to tell her something very important…"

C.J. tilted her head.

"What do you mean," she said.

Serena smiled.

"I'll leave him to share that with you," she said, "but you need to trust him in his willingness to do whatever it takes to help you."

"I do," C.J. protested, "I just don't want to see him get hurt or killed in the process."

Serena laughed dryly.

"The man can take care of himself," she said, "When he got better, he helped us out on a mission or two. He said it was his way of thanking us and his buddy, Too-Mean."

C.J. nodded.

Serena ventured further.

"I think what really scares you is not just the danger or the risk but that he'll never see you the way he used to when you do go back home after this is all over," she said.

C.J. looked up at her startled, but she nodded. Serena saw tears threatening in her eyes.

"I've put so much energy into dealing with this situation for so long," she said, "I don't know what kind of person to be when I do go back home and I know what people will be expecting is that I'll be me. But I don't know who she is. I feel like the woman I used to be died when she got kidnapped."

Serena paused to find the right choice of words.

"I think what you'll find when you go home are your friends there embracing back into their lives," she said, "I think they're willing to help you, but you've got to be able and willing to let them."

Serena had gone back to the village at that point in the conversation but as C.J. continued to sit on the beach, she ruminated over the advice that the woman had given her. She never would have guessed that Serena had gone through such a traumatic episode in her life at such a young life and lived to see the other side of it. That gave her hope.

* * *

As she watched the birds fly low over the rippling ocean, she remembered back when she was older and spent time at Chesapeake Bay, Martha's Vineyard and other coastal spots on her summer breaks from Harvard Law School. Occasionally she ventured to those beach towns alone but more often than not, she hitched a ride on Matt's motorcycle and they drove on to the beach together. C.J. had her arms wrapped around his waist, her head resting against his back as he whipped down the highway. She missed the brunt of the hot marine wind blowing back, though her hair usually took an unruly turn by the time they arrived at their destination. The two of them and occasionally other friends rented a place to stay for the weekend and spent their days sailing in the harbor, walking down the coast and swimming in the ocean before they'd nap under a nearby umbrella, before joining other friends for a nightly barbecue and on their final night a bonfire. But just as often, Matt and C.J. spent most of their time alone, spending the weekend out on the beach, trying their luck at sailing, attending outdoors concerts and just talking most of the time, catching up on each other's lives.

Matt and C.J. never bought dates with them, as part of some mutual understanding between them that this was their time to spend together. But occasionally, they had left boyfriends, girlfriends behind when they took off and their relationships weren't waiting when they got back. Their significant others couldn't understand that just because they went away together didn't mean they were sleeping together. It didn't help matters that over the years, the two of them had weathered a couple of close calls when the line between them had blurred somewhat until one of them pulled away. During the times when the sexual chemistry between them crackled strongly, that proved difficult.

C.J. sat on the beach late one night, buttoning the robe that covered her swim suit, pushing Matt's hands away when he attempted to help her. They had come out to have a late night dinner on a quiet stretch of beach and one thing had led to another, beginning when Matt had brushed an ash off of C.J.'s arm. The next thing they knew, they were lying on the beach kissing each other and Matt had worked loose several buttons on C.J.'s beach robe. She loved the feeling of his mouth on her skin, breathing in his body scent. And she knew she'd love his hands on her breasts just as much. But she couldn't go further with him, not like this.

"Houston…," she said attempting to sit up.

"Mmmmm?" was his response as he began to slip her robe off of her shoulders and kissing the skin that lay underneath.

"What are we doing," she asked.

He put his head up and raised a brow at her.

"What does it look like we're doing?"

She rolled on her side, facing him.

"I'm not ready for this," she said, pulling away, "You're my best friend and I just broke with Jonathan…"

"I broke up with my girlfriend," Matt said, "So we're both free."

C.J. sighed as she sat up.

"I don't want to be the "in between" woman with you," she said, "I want us to have the relationship that we've always had."

He stroked her arm.

"Relationships change," he said, "and how can you be sure this won't change it for the better?"

Her exasperation with him grew, part of it was because she had her own turbulent feelings about him to deal with, how much she wanted to explore a sexual relationship with him. But she knew that right now, she was a stand-in for a bruised heart and she wanted no part of that.

"Houston," she said, "I don't want this. You just broke up with your girlfriend and you need to work that out in a way that doesn't involve me."

He glared at her.

"This has nothing to do with Cynthia," he said, "It's about me and you."

She shook her head sadly, knowing otherwise.

"No it's not," she said, "I might be your best friend but right now, I'm rebound sex and I don't want that role."

"Okay, so then what do you want," he said, anger tingeing in his voice.

She sat up and wrapped her robe around her.

"I want to be your friend Houston," she said, "It sounds silly to you maybe but you're my best friend and you mean more to me than just about anyone and for you to treat me like this, it hurts."

Matt looked chagrined.

"I'm sorry," he said, "It was not my intention to make you feel that way, but you're wrong. It's not about Cynthia, anymore than it's about Jonathan. It's about us."

She covered her face with her hands.

"Then I'm not ready for us," she said, standing up and walking away while he watched.

Things had been strained between them for the rest of that particular beach trip, C.J. remembered now but they had come to an understanding during the trip back to Boston while repairing a flat tire on Matt's motorcycle. And both of them had moved seamlessly into new romances not long after the beach trip, putting that episode behind them. She marveled now at their ability to do that.

* * *

She felt him sit next to her even before he heard or saw him.

"What are you thinking about," Matt asked.

"Everything and nothing," she said.

Matt hesitated.

"I ran into Serena on my way out here looking for you," he said.

"Oh, I had just spoken to her," C.J. said, "She's a wise woman."

Matt nodded.

"She helped me clear my mind on a lot of things when I first met her," he said, "taught me about what was really important and who."

"She was telling me not to face my demons alone," she said, "but to trust the people around me."

"That sounds like good advice," he said, "There's no reason why you have to go through what happened to you by yourself."

She looked at him and then she tried to smile but tears threatened.

"What's going on here C.J.?"

He slipped his arm around her and she leaned against him.

"I'm just so tired sometimes of trying to push everything away," she said, "the dreams, the memories, everything."

He stroked her face.

"Then don't," he said, "I want you to share those with me and we'll figure out what to do about them."

"I can't even get away from them in my sleep," she said.

"I noticed," he said.

"I'm sorry about that," she said, looking up in his eyes.

"Nothing for you to be sorry about," he said, "I'll just stay close by when you're asleep."

She nodded.

"I can't guarantee I'll ever be myself again," she warned, "I'm not even sure most of the time who I am."

He pulled her closer.

"I love you no matter who you are," he said, "That's never going to change."

She looked up at him again.

"There are other things too but I don't feel like talking about them."

"Then they can wait," Matt said, "and when you're ready, you can talk to me about anything."

C.J. looked at him and wondered if he could handle her deepest wish which was to be a woman not afraid for a man to touch her body and her heart. Right now, she felt like that part of her had been destroyed and she desperately wanted it back, to be able to feel intimately close with a man again. Even if he were her best friend. Yes, there were parts of her feelings which would have to wait.

"Come on," he said, "Let's head back and talk some more and then I'm going to wrap my arms around you until you fall asleep."

"That sounds good," she said, quietly.

He took her hand and they stood up together to start walking back to the bungalow, as the sun began to set. Then he stopped her.

"Wait a second," he said, "I have a present to give you."

"What is it," she said, touched.

He slipped it in her palm and clasped her hand over it. She opened it up and saw a perfectly formed piece of sea glass, the hue of bright blue.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64---Oh my gosh, this story's going to be a year old soon! I'm sorry it's taking so long to unfold. But time flies and I've enjoyed writing it. Here's the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

C.J. woke up the next morning, feeling his arms wrapped around her and her body pressing against his. She opened up her palm and found the sea glass that he'd given her still inside it. Looking at it, she felt more centered and her troubling feelings, more at bay. She felt him stir next to her, his warmth surrounding her so she snuggled into him closer and closed her eyes, trying to hold onto her feelings of peace and security a few minutes longer.

He had done exactly as he promised, had listened to her talk about feelings that she had kept inside for so long and then had held her as she fell asleep, feeling much more relaxed and safe in his arms. Her dreams had stayed away for the night and instead, she found herself envisioning reunions with her friends in the future. Reunions that she lived for each day, even though she knew that when she returned home after they were done here, her challenges to reclaim what had been hers would just be beginning. She felt exhilarated by the thought that she might be coming within reach of going home and rebuilding her life, yet scared by the fact that so many parts of her still required healing. But first things first, she had to get home.

Her movement woke up Matt.

"Is it morning yet," he asked.

"Just about," C.J. said, "The sun's coming in through the window.

Matt stroked her hair.

"So how were your dreams?"  
She turned to look at him.

"Better," she said, "I dreamed about going home."

He smiled.

"That's a nice one," he said, "It will come true."

"I might actually be starting to believe it," she said, "I mean really believe it. I'm not just saying that."

"We've got some difficult work ahead of us here and most of it's dangerous," Matt said, "but we're getting closer. Novelli's and Brady are going to start outfitting the boat so we can leave when we hear that Andre's arrived at his compound."

"For his party," she said, "I don't like the sound of that."

Matt sighed.

"It might complicate the situation," he said, "on the other hand, it might make it easier."

"I mean, I don't like his kind of parties," she said, rising up on the couch and walking towards the kitchen. He watched her go, stretching his arms. He heard the bathroom door close and then the shower running so he walked into the kitchen to prepare some breakfast.

* * *

Chris sat in the break room with Roy, digesting the news that Rhonda had slipped to her about Andre traveling to his compound in the Caribbean.

"I didn't Scott would pass along the good news about Matt and C.J. so quickly," she said.

Roy sipped his coffee.

"Are you so surprised," he said, "He's in a desperate position and he probably sees no easy way out of it."

"But he's still a free man," Chris said, "I find it hard to believe that he'll ever be held accountable for his actions."

Roy sat still for a moment.

"There's more than one way for someone to pay for his crimes," he said, "and for justice to prevail."

Chris sighed as she went to pour herself more coffee.

"I'd like to believe that but I'm having a really hard time right now."

Roy nodded.

"I know that this has been going on a long time," he said, "but we have to have faith that when all is said and done, it'll will really be over."

Scott walked in the break room.

"I see great minds think alike," he said, as he went to get some coffee.

"Say what," Chris said.

Scott took one of the muffins and sat next to them, much to their distaste.

"All of us deciding to take breaks at the same time," he said, "It gives us the perfect opportunity to chat."

Roy and Chris looked at each other.

"About what," Chris said, "The company and how it hasn't heard from its founder in months?"

"It's not like Matt was a regular attendee at the board meetings," Scott chided, "and it's been in great hands since he took off."

"We've all worked very hard but it's not the same and you know it," Chris said.

"Well, when Matt and C.J. decide to come back from wherever they are," Scott said, "Maybe things will get back to normal."

"Definitely," Chris said, "except where you're concerned because you'll be out a job."

Scott shook his head.

"Nobody and nothing is going to remove me from Houston Enterprises, least of all Matt."

Chris chuckled.

"You really are deluded. Firing you might be the first action that's taken," she said.

"This is all academic," Scott said, "It's not like anyone here knows exactly where Matt and C.J. are staying."

"Far away from here," Chris said.

"I know," Scott said, "Somewhere nice and warm, right? Maybe they'll like it down there so much they won't want to come back."

"Yeah right Scott," Chris said, as she stood up to leave the room.

Roy studied the younger man.

"You've got yourself in a lot of trouble," he said, "Matt firing you might be the least of your problems."

Scott's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean old man?"

Roy sighed.

"You know what I mean," he said, standing up, "You picked the wrong people to associate with outside of work."

Scott frowned.

"You know that I would never do anything that would hurt this company," he said.

"If that were true," Roy said, "You wouldn't have done some of the things that you have done and the FBI wouldn't be so interested in you."

Scott shrugged his shoulders.

"They're just fishing for what they think they will find instead of doing what they should be doing and that's looking for Matt and C.J."

"No, they're interested in your extracurricular activities in the past few months," Roy said, "You've betrayed your friends and put their lives in danger and I believe you are still doing so."

Scott's eyes flashed.

"That's preposterous," he said, "Nothing could be further from the truth."

Roy looked at him, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"We both know where the truth really lies."

* * *

Brody and Novelli stood on the boat, while Zeke and other men brought supplies on board. Matt and C.J. boarded the boat.

"So how are things going here," Matt asked, looking around.

"We've got the boat nearly packed up if we need to take off at a moment's notice," Brady said, "We're still working on the weapons."

"You have enough in your camp to arm a small country," Matt noted.

Brady nodded.

"We don't need much," he said, "We're not launching a full-scale assault on the compound."

"If we get in there, it might feel like one," Matt said.

C.J. nodded

"Andre keeps his compounds well-armed I imagine," she said, "After all, that was the case up in Washington."

"We'll be outnumbered, that's for sure," Brady said.

Novelli smiled.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he said.

"No it wouldn't be," Matt said, looking at his old friend, "We're just going to have to make up for that."

C.J. looked at both men.

"I just want you both to be very careful," she said, "I don't want anything to happen to either of you. For one thing, Mama would kill me. "

"No, she'd go after this Duval guy and then he'd really have something to worry about," Vince said, with a smile.

C.J. and Matt had to chuckle at that.

"I don't doubt that," Matt said, "but when we're finished here, we will be sending you home in one piece."

Vince shrugged.

"We'll all be going back home," he said, "but in the mean time, we've got to get busy here now that Duval is coming towards us."

C.J. sighed, trying for a moment not to think about that but often, pushing against memories only succeeds in having them slip through the cracks in your defenses.

* * *

She sat in a chair inside a windowless room while he paced in front of her.

"If you think you can get away from me," Andre said, "You'd be holding onto a deadly misconception."

She followed his movement with her eyes, but kept her head still.

"No place is escape-proof," she said, "Not even your compound."

Andre raised his brows.

"You're wrong about that," he said, "No one has ever escaped from this place and lived to tell anyone."

"I'm not staying," she said, "I'm not ever going to let you touch me again."

He leaned forward.

"Oh you mean like this," he said, stroking her face.

She swallowed her revulsion like bile and looked up at him.

"Yeah like that."

He stepped back.

"You've only been here several days," he said, "You'll be here forever until I decide what next to do with you and that will depend a lot on your behavior."

She shook her head.

"I'm not going to be here long enough for you to make any decision."

Andre chuckled.

"There was once another woman who talked boldly and rashly like you do now," he said, "She's dead and her bones are resting in the ground not too far away from here."

C.J. sighed but didn't react to that news. She tried to appear casual.

"How many others lie out there?"

Andre paused, watching the expression on her face change and fear begin to take a stronger hold even though she struggled to suppress it. Then he smiled.

"More than you'd want to know," he said, "but most women who pass through here adapt to their new lives with no need to take it that far. The women out there over the river are the exceptions."

C.J.'s ears perked up at Andre's casual reference of the river, the same body of rushing water she listened to at night. Sometimes it helped bring sleep to her after he had left her, feeling more broken despite her attempts to seal a part of herself off from his visits. Perhaps, the river would prove the key to getting away from this nightmare in one way or another.

She forced calm into her voice.

"I don't plan on ending up there either," she said.

"You won't as long as you what I want you to do," Andre said, "Surely, you are better than they are, coming from your background?"

A glimpse of her back in L.A. working alongside Matt through their investigative agency flashed through her mind and a part of her grabbed onto it. But not for long, because she had to let go and let it float away. Some things were too painful even to glance at for a second.

"Why would you care," C.J. said, "Your men grabbed me off the street and brought me here to be used by you."

"That's where you are wrong," he said, "You are different than these other women who were given very little in life and were doing what they had to do to survive before they crossed my path."

"Something I'm sure they regret," she said, "The dreams that you sold to them turned out to be slavery."

Andre shook his head.

"Just a harsh word coming from such a beautiful, refined young woman," he said, "I'm a businessmen and these women work for me. I shelter them, feed them and take care of them. Most of them would be starving on the streets of their cities if it weren't for men like me."

C.J. wondered how much of Andre really believed in what he said, that he helped women out and then decided very little. Mostly, he cared about making money off the backs of the people he bought and sold yet she also knew that Andre held deep inside of him, no small degree of hatred towards her gender. Why? She didn't know but she felt it every time he looked at her and when he touched her.

"Sorry, they don't give Nobel prizes to human traffickers," C.J. said.

* * *

C.J. blinked her eyes, remembering that after she had said that, Andre had ordered two guards to take her back to her room. Obviously, she had done a poor job amusing him. She knew he'd be back visiting her in a few hours.

"Vince, I think that maybe if we use that strategy we used back in L.A. when…"

She looked around her at the men, realizing she had lost track of the conversation.

"What strategy," she asked.

Both men looked at her.

"Oh we were just talking about one of the cases Matt handled back when I was a cop," Novelli explained.

"I'm sorry I missed it," she said, "I must have zoned out."

Matt looked at her. She smiled back.

"We were thinking since we're clearly going to be outnumbered, we'll need a very good element of surprise," he said.

"Antonio's working on seeing what part of the security system that can be exploited," Novelli continued.

"It's going to be hard," C.J. said, "but no one knows it better than he does so if there's a weakness in it, he should find it."

"He'll have to find it soon," Matt said, "if we want to hit Andre the night of his party."

"Security should be heightened then," C.J. said, "but maybe it will be more centralized."

Matt nodded.

"That would help us," he said, "We have a meeting with him later this afternoon and maybe we'll find out more."

* * *

Jonathan glared at Denton who was sitting across from him in his office.

"You have men already in the Caribbean looking for your fugitive, Matt," he said, "Why can't you switch their focus to Andre Duval?"

Denton sighed.

"Because like I've been telling you for days and weeks now, we don't have anything solid on Duval."

Jonathan sighed.

"You know he was dealing drugs back East while working for the consulate," he said.

Denton nodded.

"But that's old news, beyond the statutory of limitations to do anything about," Denton said, "We need evidence of more recent criminal activity."

Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"The guy's a major player in the human trafficking trade," Jonathan said.

"If he is like you said and I'm inclined to believe it's certainly possible," Denton said, "Where's the proof?"

"You know how elusive these criminals can get, moving from country to country as if there are no borders between them," Jonathan said, "at least not any that they have to answer to."

"That might be true," Denton said, "but if this guy's neck deep in the business, any proof of that has managed to slip through our fingers."

"What about Scott Prescow," Jonathan asked.

Denton shrugged.

"What about him," he said, "I and my men have grilled him for several months now and I have a hard time believing he's just that good…"

"At evading interrogation," Jonathan said, "That's not nearly as hard as you seem to believe it is. And Prescow had ties going back to Duval's stint in Boston."

"At any rate, we don't have enough to bring Prescow in," Denton said, with a sigh.

"You've probably pushed him hard enough to at least reach out to Duval for help," Jonathan said, "although I doubt he'll receive any unless..."

Denton looked at him.

"Unless what?"

"Unless he has any information about the whereabouts of C.J. Parsons," Jonathan said, thoughtfully.

"So?"

Jonathan sighed.

"Andre Duval is on his way to the Caribbean where he might have a headquarters right into the region where we all believe that C.J. and Matt Houston are currently hiding out."

Denton scoffed.

"Duval decision to go there might have nothing to do with them," he said.

"I believe it has everything to do with trying to find them," Jonathan said, "and I believe Duval's heading down there because he got information on their location from some party."

"Okay, I'll bite," Denton said, "Who then?"

"I don't know," Jonathan said, "It could be one of our guys who's dirty…"

Denton's face reddened.

"I assure you there are no bad apples responsible in the FBI."

Jonathan shook his head.

"That's what I said once about my division," he said, "I couldn't have been more wrong and lives were almost lost because of it."

"Is there anyone it could be according to your theory besides a DOJ employee gone bad?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Of course, it could be a number of people including Scott Prescow."

* * *

Scott sat in his office, wondering when or if Andre would ever contact him offering his help in exchange for the information that Scott had provided. Well if Andre didn't come through for him, he could always shop the information to the other trafficker who was hunting for C.J. if only he knew who the identity of that individual. He had vague recollection of a reference being made to him in a conversation…

Then a chill suddenly filled him. What if Andre didn't plan to respond with assistance but instead sent someone out to eliminate him? Scott had some idea about the trail of dead bodies discovered or not following Andre since he had first hooked up with him years ago. He looked around the office, listening for any strange sounds but all that met him was quiet, except for the beating of his own heart.

* * *

Hundreds of miles away on some tropical island, Andre's jet landed on a secluded runway at a private airport. After it taxied to a small building, he disembarked met by a group of security men and other employees. Missing from the entourage was Elena but Andre knew she kept quite busy in her office inside the main building. No doubt she would be excited to see him again and would give him an update on the details of the upcoming party.

It would be a much better party if he could locate C.J. and bring her back to the compound, but while he had learned that she was hiding in the Caribbean, the sheer size and scope of the region made a search for her akin to locating a needle in a haystack. Still, he had dispatched some of his best men to search the islands within 100 miles or so. Hopefully, he would hear some good news from one of them soon.

One of his men pulled him aside.

"Have you decided what to do with Mr. Prescow," he said, "He could be a liability to this operation if his desperation leads to impulsive actions on his part."

"Ah yes," Andre said, "The feds have been pushing him very hard to try to find out how much he knows about what happened to C.J."

"So do you have any orders?"

Andre looked at him, not blinking his eyes.

"He lives…for now," he said, "My focus is on locating the Parsons woman before Jaguar arrives for the party. It would make things a lot less complicated if he brought his merchandise back here to give to him."

The man sighed.

"You've sent your best men to the four corners of the region," he said, "but it's very large and it might take too much time."

"I think she's close by," Andre said, "You see, I think she and her friend Matt Houston have plans of their own to try to bring me down. I'd like to see them try."

"They would be easily defeated," the man assured him.

"Not easily perhaps, but it would be done and perhaps if we wait, it might save us the work of having to try and find them."

With that, Andre smiled and walked towards the main house to look for Elena.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65--- The latest chapter is up. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading it and for the comments! I think it's almost a year old, eek.

* * *

Elena looked up when she saw Andre enter the office. His mouth broke into a smile and she stood up, trying to remember why she had been looking forward to his return. He had always treated her with kindness, but she was beginning to learn that she was the exception not the rule.

"Elena," he said, "You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you."

She smoothed out her dress after standing up.

"I'm the same person Senor Duval," she said, "I've been working very hard on organizing this party that you're planning."

He approached her.

"Ah, and I imagine you are wondering why I gave you so little information about some of the most important details."

She smiled, a bit uneasily.

"I know you had your reasons for doing so," she said, "You must always be careful in your line of work, no?"

His smile dimmed a little and she saw a hint of uneasiness pass through his eyes. It was an emotion that looked unfamiliar on his face.

"I mean, traveling in this day and age in this increasingly dangerous world we live in must be a challenge."

He looked at her a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, I do consider safety when I travel," he said, "It's not a part of running the business that I enjoy however."

She reached on the desk and grabbed a piece of paper.

"Here's a message from the security chief which just came in a few minutes ago," she said, handing it to him.

He looked at it a moment then folded it and put it in his pocket.

"Just routine business," he said, "Now how have things been going since we last talked?"

She walked over to embrace him and kiss him on the cheek.

"Just fine Senor," she said, "As they usually do. Everyone is doing the assignments that they have received from you."

"Any problems?"

She shook her head.

"None to speak of," she said, "People here are working very hard to make sure your party is a success."

"Any more calls from Mr. Kostas?"

She frowned.

"He keeps asking about a delivery that you promised him," she said, "and he asks strange questions."

Andre's brows rose.

"What do you mean?"

She paused as she saw the concern line his face, not sure how to proceed.

"I do not wish to share details with him about my personal life," she said.

"Do not worry Elena," he said, "I will phone him at once and tell him to stop with the questions."

He started to leave the office, and then paused.

"Is there anything else that concerns you?"

She paused, looking at him and then away and back again, her hands clenched behind her back where he couldn't see them.

"No…nothing at all."

* * *

Antonio paced in front of where the others sat listening to his latest news. Matt and C.J. sat with Novelli and Brady listening to his briefing.

"So Andre's entered the building so to speak," Matt said, "Well that means we'll be able to get this show on the road sooner rather than later."

Antonio nodded.

"Yes, his plane just landed not too long ago," he said, "He's here to have this party he's been planning. We must be cautious because it's possible he might have sent some of his men to comb the islands looking for C.J."

"Do we know what any of these men look like," Matt asked.

"No," Antonio said, "I doubt I would even be able to pick them out. They're most likely independent contractors like the hit men."

"They might be disguising themselves to better fit in with the locals," Novelli noted.

"That's most likely," Antonio agreed.

"We can ask Serena to keep an eye on any new arrivals," Brady suggested, "She's got a good eye for who looks like they belong and who doesn't."

"Any men hired by Andre will fit in with the locals very well," Antonio said, "He hires only the best."

"Some of his hit men are now dead," Matt said, "and none of them succeeded when we were in the States."

Antonio nodded.

"True," he said, "but you've been hiding out from Andre down here for several months now to get away from them."

Matt sipped his beer.

"If they come and find us down here, we'll be ready for them," he said, "though I'd rather meet them closer to Andre's compound."

"We should think about lifting anchor here and heading to Sapphire Island soon," Brady said, "There's going to be a lot of incoming traffic there for that party."

Matt nodded.

"If we could slip in there amongst them," he said, "We might not be noticed…at least not right away."

Antonio sighed.

"I'm trying to pin down the final logistics of this party," he said, "Security will be tighter at the entry and exit points but there will be a perimeter on the grounds."

Matt and Novelli looked at each other.

"Nothing we haven't seen before," Matt said.

Novelli agreed.

"Even Duval Sr. tried that to fortify his compound," he said, "Didn't work, one man got through."

C.J. interjected herself in the conversation after sitting on her hands for a while while people talked around her.

"How do you know that Andre's even going to send out people looking for me," she said, "What if he knows what we're planning?"

"That could be possible," Antonio admitted, "After all it was part of the plan to know you're in the area."

"I think it's more than possible," C.J. said, "I think it's likely."

Matt looked into her eyes which were rimmed with concern.

"I think we have to be prepared for Andre to have a welcoming crew for us when we arrive," he said.

"Andre's nothing if not thorough about everything he does," C.J. said, "He goes through each angle, every nuance and not just once."

Antonio pursed his lips in thought.

"Yes, I agree with that assessment," he said, "Yes, the party might distract him, might knock him off his game a bit as least as far as she's concerned but it might be part of his plan…"

Brady slammed his arm on the table.

"Oh that could shoot our plan to hell," he said, "We'd better have at least a contingency plan in case this one doesn't work."

"We will," Novelli said, "and we'll have to be ready to jump to that strategy quickly if we have to do so."

"Maybe it's better if she stays out of it," Brady said, looking at C.J.

Antonio shook his head.

"No, because if Andre's on to us, he'll have his men kill most of you when you arrive and he'll use Matt to draw C.J. out anyway."

C.J. nodded slowly.

"That's exactly what he'll do," she said, "He knows how much I care about him. He's used that against me before."

Matt looked up at her but she looked away.

"So we come up with a plan B," Novelli said, "That shouldn't take us too much more time."

Antonio drew out his map and spread it out on the table.

"This is where the guards will be," he said, pointing to several locations on the map of the compound and the surrounding area.

"Will Elena be at the party," C.J. asked.

Antonio looked at her and nodded.

"She's going to be the hostess," he said, "at least until Andre can't keep her in the dark about what his party's really about."

"He's worked hard to keep that part of himself hidden from her," C.J. said, "Almost as if he's sheltering her."

"She told me that she knows very little about his business," Antonio said, "but she's suspected that he's been keeping part of it hidden from her."

"I tried to warn her," C.J. said, "but she couldn't believe that he was capable of doing bad…even after Fernando was killed."

"He's always been kind to her," Antonio said, "and that in itself is strange but maybe because she's been with him since she was a little girl."

C.J. caught a look of wistfulness pass through his face, but on second glance, his steely gaze had returned. She knew she hadn't imagined it. Even Antonio couldn't control his emotions all the time.

"She's not going to be with him much longer," she said, "Hopefully soon she'll be reunited with her brother."

Antonio betrayed a slight smile at her words.

"It will be much work and even greater danger before that can happen."

Matt and C.J. looked at each other, being intimately familiar with both.

* * *

She raced to the base before the flight boarded for takeoff, for parts unknown. The relatives of those military personnel being shipped out weren't told where their loved ones would be heading for security reasons. She saw him carrying his duffel towards the B-2 bomber, parked on the tarmac near a worn out building.

Calling his name, she ran out towards where he waited with the other servicemen. He turned when he heard her voice and smiled, as she jumped in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her, inhaling a mixture of rose petals and cinnamon. He closed his eyes for a moment, already missing her.

"I'll be back in six months for a spell," he said, when they finally separated.

He tucked her hair behind an ear.

"I know," she said, "but it's going to be dangerous where you're going. Please promise me you'll stay safe."

"I'm going to be fine," Matt said, "I'm just going to work intelligence, not on the front lines of any combat."

She shook her head.

"That's not a safe job inside an office Houston and we both know it," she said, "Anything can happen…"

"It can happen here," he said, "There's no guarantees in this world beyond this moment."

She nodded, understanding that all too well and then looked around.

"Where's Siobhan," she asked, "I thought I'd see her here."

He looked away and sighed.

"We broke up," he said, "She decided she liked going out with a football star more than a soldier."

C.J. rolled her eyes.

"Then she's stupid," she said, "She should understand why you made the choices you did and support you."

"Somehow she didn't see it that way," he said.

"Well she should," C.J. continued, "besides, you look great no matter what uniform you're wearing."

He lifted a brow.

"I didn't think you paid attention."

She ran her hand through her hair.

"Well…sometimes… I do."

He nodded, his face breaking slowly into a smile at the hint of color in her cheeks.

"You look beautiful," he said, "but then you always do and I do pay attention."

She wrinkled her nose, hiding how pleased she was by the compliment.

"You should have seen Julia and me a couple days ago."

"Why, what happened," he asked.

C.J. paused.

"I'll tell you about it when you get back."

He nodded.

"Where is she?"

C.J. shrugged.

"She took off," she said, "I'll be hooking back up with her in San Diego."

"And then you're heading to Harvard, right?"

She studied him for a moment, and then nodded.

"Yeah," she said, "I'm just going to keep my distance from a certain person as much as possible."

He put his arm around her shoulder.

"C.J. it's going to work out," he said, "You'll see, it will be just fine."

"I hope so Houston," she said, then shook her head and smiled again, "but this isn't about me, this is about you leaving on a new phase of your life. And how proud of you I am…and I know your daddy is too, even if he doesn't always say it."

She knew that his father not coming to the base to say his goodbyes personally tore at his heart and he knew that she knew and loved her for her words. He knew his father loved him but the issues that needed to be resolved between them would have to wait.

"He did call me," Matt said, "I told him I'd think about helping him out with the business after I finished my stint."

She narrowed her eyes.

"I thought…"

"Just for a little while," he said.

"It's almost time to go," she said, looking at the activity by the plane, "You take care of yourself until you can come home."

"You stay out of trouble," he said, putting his arms around her.

A sergeant called for them to line up to board the airplane and he hugged her close for a while longer, not wanting to let go. Then with a final kiss on the forehead, he was gone.

* * *

Both of them had been much younger back then, with their whole lives ahead of them, Matt thought. And the experiences which would take them in many interesting and ultimately rewarding directions still awaited them. Also waiting was a nightmare or two that tested each of them individually and together, serving to cement their childhood friendship into something much stronger, yet not as easily categorized or defined. Things had definitely become more complicated than they had the day they had said goodbye on that tarmac.

He had done his time in the military and had duly returned back home in one piece. His short time in his father's company turned into years as he worked hard to carry it in a different direction. Until the day came when he turned his back on the company leaving it in the capable hands of employees he had hired and trained while he focused on his investigative agency with C.J. at his side, finally feeling as if he were truly home.

Then he met Elizabeth, a woman who would change his life in a different way, and draw him down the path that he currently traveled after she had left him at the altar on their wedding day. That day and for a while afterward, he felt as if he'd lost a part of himself so he had gone off on a six month long road trip to find it, only to discover that the road led right back to where he had begun and to another woman. Not that there weren't a few road bumps on the way.

He laid back on the cot, feeling trickles of sweat pouring down the sides of his face and looked up to see a woman helping him drink a glass of cool water. His throat felt parched as the water slid down into a hole it couldn't fill. He tried to raise his head but felt a swell of dizziness hit him.

"Take it easy there," a woman's voice said, "If you move too quickly, you'll pass out again. Slow and easy is the key."

"C.J…"

"Who are you calling for," the woman said and he thought he saw her smile, "My name's Serena and I've been taking care of you."

His vision cleared and he saw that he didn't know her and then a bone searing weariness hit him and he lay back.

"Where am I," he asked.

He felt her place a cool, damp cloth on his forehead.

"You're on an island just off the beaten path of the tourist jaunts," she said, "You've been here for about two days. A couple of the guys came upon you on the beach."

"What happened," he said.

"You don't remember do you," she said, "You ran into one of our island's residents, a sting ray. Your foot should be looking better than it does now in about a week or two."

"Sting ray?"

He barely caught her nod.

"It's very painful and occasionally fatal," she said, "but we found you just in time."

"I was on my way home," he said, "I had to see someone."

She rubbed his shoulder and the muscle relaxed.

"It's going to have to wait until you get better," she said, "You'll just to have to face the fact that you won't be going anywhere for a while."

"But…"

"Whatever's waiting for you at home can wait," she said, "you looked like you were on death's list just two days ago so you best rest up until you're better."

_It can wait…_

The last words he remembered as he fell asleep again, in the shadow of the woman taking care of him.

* * *

C.J. looked over at Matt, who looked deep in thought. She wondered what occupied his mind. He looked up then and caught her glancing at him. She smiled and then returned to listening to Antonio and the others try to come up with a fallback plan in case Andre knew they were coming for him.

* * *

Jonathan bumped into Brad in the hallway.

"Have you heard from the FBI yet," Brad asked as they headed to the conference room.

"When haven't I heard from them," Jonathan said, a weary tone in his voice.

"Are they serious about sending a dragnet to the Caribbean?"

They looked up and saw other agents heading towards the same meeting.

"That Agent Denton is deadly serious," Jonathan said, "I don't know what they think they're going to accomplish by treating Matt Houston like a fugitive for doing something our departments couldn't do which is protect our own witness."

Both walked to the coffee table.

"Have they pinpointed a location in the region where they might be hiding?"

Jonathan shook his head.

"And I doubt they will," he said, "the Caribbean is a large place with lots of islands, only some of them on the map."

Brad hesitated.

"Maybe we should assign one of our own people to their dragnet," he said, "in case they do find them."

Jonathan thought about it.

"Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea," Jonathan said, "Do you think you'd be up for the assignment?"

Brad smiled.

"Of course boss," he said, "Give me the marching orders and I'll be there."

"I'll run it through Agent Denton," Jonathan said, "There's no reason why he should object to one of our people joining his team."

"Are you sure he'll like it and won't think we're poaching in his territory," Brad said, as they sat down at the table.

"If he doesn't like it, tough," Jonathan said, "Get your bag packed and get ready to go down and join them."

* * *

C.J. poured herself some mango juice at the bungalow and sat back down on the couch. Matt had arrived just after she did and took some maps to the table and reviewed them on the coffee table.

"You've been studying those maps a long time," she said, "Why not take a break?"

He pushed them aside and looked up at her.

"Okay," he said, "What do you want to do?"

She thought about it.

"I just want to think about something else," she said, "I thought I saw your mind wandering during some of that strategic meeting."

"I caught the highlights," Matt said, "but I did sit there thinking of different situations that popped into my mind."

C.J. nodded.

"Like the past," she said, "Things we experienced together?"

He looked at her, surprised at her observation.

"Yeah," he said, "I have been hit with some memories like that."

She wrapped her arms around herself.

"Me too," she said, "Most of them pleasant. I think it's just my way of trying to forget what's not."

He moved over to the couch where she sat and pulled her into his arms. She nuzzled against his chest.

"We've been through so much together haven't we?"

He stroked her hair.

"Yes we have," he said, "and we've survived a lot."

She turned to look at him, frowning.

"Not all of it's been bad," she said, "Just a tiny part…maybe more than that."

"I was remembering when I was recovering from the sting ray and all I could think of was going home," he said, "That I was done traveling and ready to leave that behind."

She chuckled.

"How long were you home," she said, "A few hours, and then you started looking for me."

"It's not home without you," he said, "It's not anything."

She looked at him in a way that made his breath catch.

"Well, we're not home," she said, "We're thousands of miles away but we're together."

He sighed, remembering back to another day.

"She said I had plenty of time to go back," he said, "But I ran out of time."

She shook her head and reached out to touch his face.

"No you didn't," she said, "You found me just in time."

He looked confused.

"But I couldn't stop…"

"Nobody could do that," she said, "but you came to me at the point I was just about to give up and turn my back on who I am."

"You were pointing a gun at me," he reminded her, "It didn't seem like you were ready to give up anything."

"On the outside," she said, "but I was beginning to lose my bearings on what lived inside me and I never would have found my way back."

He drew her in closer.

"I never would have stopped trying," he said.

She smiled at him.

"I know," she said, "and you haven't."

He picked up something in her voice and knew that she still remained unsure that she would ever go home. And he knew she wouldn't follow him if it put him in jeopardy. She had one foot out the door already.

"C.J. I came back for you…." he said.

But when he heard no response from her, he looked down and found that she had drifted off to sleep, her face relaxed. He watched her sleep, trying to run through the different things he could say to her to keep her from running and coming up empty.

_And it couldn't wait._


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66---This is the latest installment of this FF story and I think it just past the one year anniversary mark! Oh time flies... Thanks for reading it and thanks for the feedback. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

* * *

C.J. reached carefully under her bed and pulled out her bundle. Tucking it underneath her arm, she walked to the bathroom. She spilled the contents out on the floor and wondered if she had stashed enough away to help her escape. Running her hand through her hair, she knew her window of opportunity slipped further away with every hour she spent thinking about it. But she still needed a plan to pull off what had never been done. Andre had told her every opportunity he had that escape from his heavily fortified compound was impossible. Everyone who tried to leave it died a painful and sometimes prolonged death at his own hands or from his guards. None had ever made it past the perimeter wall.

But C.J. wasn't just anyone. She had spent many hours lying on her bed listening to the roar of the river as it churned just beyond that perimeter wall on its way to freedom. She knew if she could just make that far, she was halfway home. She often tried to think back to how long she had been held captive in this place but each day blended into the next and as for the nights between them? She pushed them out of her mind entirely, bottling them up some place they couldn't find her. Remembering the nights just froze her in place like a tharn animal unable to escape. Still, she wondered if a month had passed or longer since she had arrived. And within that time everything about her had changed. Even when she looked in the mirror, she saw someone else staring back at her.

When it was quiet, she thought about the people she loved. Were they out looking for her, or did they seek the woman she had been when she had walked to her car in the parking garage that fateful night? She thought of her best friend in the whole world. Did he know she was missing? It didn't seem likely given how he had cut off his line of communication with everyone while he traveled the world searching for himself. Even if he did know, the time had passed for him to come running in to rescue a woman who had become a stranger even to herself. If he saw her now… She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts and the pain that came with them.

C.J. knew she was on her own, cut off from everyone else and had only herself to rely on to survive. As for what life awaited her if she did get out, she dreaded that moment of truth about what she had become more than she feared getting caught before reaching the river.

She winced as she touched her arm, still feeling the burn of what had been branded there. Though still angry and swollen, it looked like the outline of a feline, one that she should recognize but couldn't place. With the tattoo, came a new urgency to push for an escape from somewhere deep inside her. If she waited too long…She'd be lost forever including the parts of her that were still unbroken.

She piled everything back in the bundle and went to her bed, to return it to its place. Just in time as it turned out, as she heard several footsteps outside her door just before it opened. She sat back on the bed quickly, tucking her feet beneath her.

"Well, well, it appears that you're still here."

Piser.

C.J. looked up to see him staring at her.

"Where else would I be?"

He stepped inside the room and looked around.

"Trying to escape," he said, "even though it's a doomed effort."

She shrugged.

"Then why do it," she said, "if what you say is true."

"I know better than to believe you when you say that," he said, walking towards her until she could feel his breath on her skin.

"If I'm staying here, then your feelings should be moot," she said, eying him, "Nothing to worry about."

He stood next to her and moved to stroke her hair. Her hand shot up and blocked his efforts. He laughed at her.

"See, you're allowing your defensive actions to betray your own words," Piser said. "I know you're up to something. I'm just telling you it won't help you."

She let him go.

"You really shouldn't really read too much into it," she said, "It's just that being around you make my skin crawl."

"I'm in charge here until Andre returns," Piser said, "You will do as I tell you."

"And if you touch me, Andre will kill you," she said, "He doesn't like the hired help handling his women."

Piser chuckled again.

"'His woman'," Piser said, "Is that what you consider yourself?"

C.J. remained silent, watching him. Every step taken, every word said was a minefield in this place. So she took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"He did give me instructions to keep my hands off of you, but not for the reasons you might think," he said.

C.J. tilted her head.

"Then what are your reasons?"

Piser hesitated.

"I probably shouldn't tell you," he said, "but I think I will."

"Tell me what," she asked.

"Andre sold you off to that trafficker who dropped by the other day," he said, "He's sending his crew to pick you up for a flight to the Ukraine, your new home."

C.J. fought to keep her face calm. She squeezed her hands into fists, the nails cutting into the palms where Piser couldn't see them.

"How do you know this," she said, not betraying herself in her voice.

He had taunted her with similar information before but this time she really believed him.

"Because I drafted the sales papers myself," he said, "Oh don't worry, he's paying a very high price to add you to his collection."

"I don't believe you," she said, reaching for words, "Andre wouldn't do anything like this after going through so much trouble to find me."

"Andre's a business man," he said, "He's just broken you in for the next person in line."

C.J. felt blood trickling from one of her palms but squeezed harder. She smiled.

"He told me I was special," she said, "different from the other women."

"That might be true," Piser said, "but that tattoo that he had branded in your arm is the logo of the guy who bought you and he's having you shipped to join him later this week."

"When Andre gets back," she said, quietly.

"Of course," he said, "He wants to make sure that the merchandise is in pristine condition and ready for delivery. The trafficker was very impressed with you when he last visited but he wants perfection in his women and you're a long way from that."

C.J.'s stomach lurched and she put her hand over her face to quell the nausea.

"It's a shame really to see you go but it was either you or her," Piser said.

That attracted her attention.

"What do you mean, 'her'?"

Piser looked at her for a while before he answered.

"Meaning you weren't the trafficker's first choice," he said, "He wanted a younger girl."

* * *

C.J. found herself sitting in the garden again, relaxing in the essence of the flowers blooming around her that soothed the racing thought inside her head. She heard soft footsteps in the distance and looking up saw a woman approach her, with long dark hair.

"Sierra," she called.

The woman approached and said nothing.

"I don't know if I can escape," C.J. said.

"You must or you'll have another chance to get away," Sierra said, "Once they put you on the plane, you'll be lost forever to anyone who ever cared about you."

C.J. narrowed her eyes at the woman.

"How did you know?"

The woman smiled sadly.

"Why do you think I tried to escape," she said, "He sold me off too after he read in the newspaper about an up and rising lawyer working for a major corporation. He had his employees dig up every article they could find on this woman. She became an obsession to him."

"That was me," C.J. said, slowly.

"I knew once he found that he could have you, he'd sell me off to the Jaguar."

"What's the Jaguar?"

"It's a man who Andre partners with who runs a major operation that Andre wishes to own some day but he has his dues to pay first."

C.J. looked at the marks on her hand, scars left by her fingernails when they dug so deep in her palms they bled. She saw the outline of the tattoo on her arm come to life.

"He's much worse than Andre," Sierra said, "which is why I tried to escape knowing the odds were against me making it out alive."

"But you didn't," C.J. said, "and I don't know if I can either but I'd rather die trying."

Sierra shook her head.

"No you have to live C.J.," she said, "You have to help me save my sister."

* * *

C.J. woke with a start, breathing hard and her heart pounding inside her ears. Her movement jostled Matt who had been sleeping alongside her. He looked at her, as she tried to take the deep breaths she hoped would calm her heart down and allow her vision to clear.

"Hey C.J. are you okay," he asked, "Having another bad dream?"

She focused on him suddenly, as if seeing him for the first time. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her quickened heartbeat against his chest.

"It's going to be fine," he said, stroking her back, "You're safe and you're right here."

It took her several minutes enveloped in his warmth before she could speak.

"He wanted Elena," she said.

Matt looked at her confused.

"Who wanted her?"

She put her hand on her chest and struggled to keep talking between breaths. He rubbed her back.

"C.J., just look up and focus on my face for a while, okay?"

She smiled.

"Well it is a very nice looking face," she said, "…I'm okay now."

Matt stroked the hair off of her face.

"Okay, so what do you remember?"

"I was in my room thinking about escaping and Piser walked in," she said.

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head.

"No he told me that Andre sold me to a trafficker but we already know that," she said.

"Did he say which one," Matt asked.

"No, but later on, Sierra told me that it was someone called the Jaguar."

"Sierra told you?"

"Yeah, apparently he's worse than Andre is and I wasn't his first choice," she said.

"Did you find out why," Matt said.

C.J. paused.

"Because he wanted someone younger," she said, "I think he really wanted Elena."

Matt's brows shot up.

"You mean he was intent on purchasing her for his prostitution operation?"

C.J. grimaced.

"Yes," she said, "But Andre must have vetoed his attempts to buy her and offered me up instead."

"I wonder why," Matt said.

She shivered.

"My escape from that place could have put her in the hands of that trafficker," C.J. said, "I never thought about that."

Matt sighed, seeing the conflict in her face.

"You did what you had to do to survive," he said, "and nothing ever happened to Elena because you did get out of there. From what she's told us, she's treated pretty well."

"I wonder why Andre would protect her," C.J. said, quietly, "When he's so cruel to other women?"

"Maybe Antonio knows the answer to that question," Matt responded.

* * *

Jonathan cursed as he became flooded with phone calls that routed to his office after he sent one of his most capable agents off to join the task force that the FBI dispatched to the Caribbean to try to dig up any trace of Matt. At first, he refused to send any of his men but after some thought, decided to send Brad down on a flight down there to keep an eye on the activities of the FBI's team and report anything important back to him.

Rhonda knocked on the door with his daily dose of reality, in the form of some barbecue backed ribs and steaming potatoes. His stomach rumbled despite itself.

"You got here just in time," he said, getting up to help her place the food on a clear spot on his desk.

"These are great ribs from a new place that just opened up near the airport," she said, "Owner even gave us a promotional discount."

He dug his hands inside the bags and pulled out Styrofoam containers bulging with food. She found the plates, napkins and forks.

"I've got some chilled water in my frig here," she said.

Her eyes opened widely.

"You got one of those?"

He looked sheepish.

"I try to keep it hidden so the brass won't find out about it," he said, "but I need one to stash food and liquids in because I never get out of here."

"True," she said, "We haven't been on any culinary fieldtrips all week," she spooned some baked beans on his plate as he tried to decide which spare ribs of the bunch to put on his plate.

"Where's Brad," Rhonda asked, "I didn't see him when I walked in."

Jonathan dug his teeth into a succulent rib.

"I sent him down to join the FBI's dragnet in the Caribbean," he said.

Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"A waste of the taxpayers' money," she said.

"The FBI doesn't appear to think so."

Rhonda sipped her water.

"Matt is too smart to let them find him," she said, "They'll spend most of their time chasing their own tails."

Jonathan smiled.

"Maybe," he said, "but they could find him."

"Only if he wants them to," Rhonda said, "And like I said, they are focusing on the wrong person."

Jonathan put down his fork and sighed.

"I'm not arguing with you about that," he said, "Brad's going to work on them."

"He'll have his work cut out for him trying to get them to go after the real criminals," Rhonda said.

"They need a lot more proof than they've got right now to go after Duval," Jonathan protested.

Rhonda snorted.

"You're sounding as much like a stuck recording as your counterparts at the FBI," she said, "You've got to do something. This man has killed and terrorized God knows how many women around the world and you're going after a guy who's just trying to protect one of them."

"The FBI is going after him," Jonathan corrected.

"That's all semantics Jonathan and you know it," Rhonda said, "and that's part of what's wrong here. You know how dangerous and ruthless Andre Duval is and he's running around free to hurt more women and Matt has to look over his shoulder for the people who are supposed to be helping him."

"Brad is going to try to talk to them again," Jonathan said.

Rhonda shook her head.

"It won't work," she said, "and every day that Matt and C.J. can't come home is another day they're spending in a prison that's not of their making while a thug like Andre gets to move among higher society because everyone's too scared or just doesn't give a damn to do the right thing and bring him in."

"The right thing," Jonathan argued, "Our skilled agents who've spent years gaining experience know what that is more than you do."

She shook her head at him, sadly.

"If that were true," she said, "Andre would either be sitting in a jail right now or he'd be dead, because that's the only way this situation can end if justice has anything to do with it at all."

Jonathan grew silent for a while because he couldn't come up with any words to challenge her own.

* * *

C.J. and Matt caught up with Novelli at the beach where he was sitting beneath a tree and reading a book.

"Have you seen Antonio," she asked.

Novelli shook his head.

"It seems to me that he only appears when he wants to be seen," he said, "as for the rest of the time…"

Matt looked down at his friend.

"It looks like you've taken up a life of leisure," he noted, "hanging out on a tropical island at the beach with a book."

"I'm catching up with the great literary works I didn't read as a kid," Novelli said, "This one's the _Old Man and the Sea_ by Hemingway. Bertha's got a whole collection inside her library."

"Anything else going on?"

Novelli put the book down.

"Oh yeah, Serena said that there's a lot of activity on Sapphire Island," he said, "It must have to do with Andre's upcoming party."

"It's going to be his last party," Matt said.

"She said some dignitaries might be coming," Novelli said, "from different countries."

"Don't any of these people know what the host of this party has been up to," Matt said.

"It doesn't matter," C.J. said, "They're probably clients of his."

Novelli sighed.

"If that's the case, they're protected from any real scrutiny by the authorities and they give Andre some legitimacy," he said.

"Did she mention anyone who goes by the name, Jaguar," Matt asked.

Novelli frowned and shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said, "That's an alias, right?"

"Probably," Matt said, "It's one used by a trafficker that Andre partners with who's much more powerful than he is on a good day."

"He now owns me," C.J. said.

Novelli looked at her puzzled and she pulled up her sleeve showing him the remnant of the tattoo.

"Did Andre do that?"

She nodded.

"Right after he sold me," she said, "It got infected when I escaped so much of its gone."

"This guy's invited to the party right?"

"I think he would be," Matt said, "but if he is, then Andre wants to make sure he finds C.J. first."

"This guy could ruin his party if he doesn't," Novelli asked.

"I don't think he would be too happy," Matt said, "and he's holding a tremendous amount of power including over Andre."

A chill filled C.J.'s heart.

"If I'm not there, he might target Elena," she said.

"He might what," Novelli said.

"He didn't want me. He wanted to buy Elena instead," C.J. said, "but Andre wouldn't let him do that so he put me up instead."

"C.J., I don't think Elena's in that kind of danger," Matt said, "For whatever reason, he's not going to let this Jaguar guy touch her."

Now Novelli appeared confused.

"Why is that with this guy," Novelli said, "Andre abuses and exploits most women who cross paths with him."

"Elena's different," C.J. said, "He takes care of her. But if this other trafficker wants her, Andre might not be able to stop him this time if he has nothing to offer up instead."

Matt didn't like the direction this conversation was heading in.

"C.J., you're not thinking…"

She turned to look at him.

"If I were there, then she'd be much safer," she said, "but this guy's not going to want to leave that island empty handed if he shows up."

"You can't do what you're thinking," Matt said.

She sighed and looked away.

"She's just a young girl," she said, softly, "She has nothing to protect her against men like these guys."

"She'll have us when we get there," Matt said, "and her brother's going to help us."

She shook her head.

"It might not be enough."

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"You can't go in her place," he said, "You're not going in her place."

Her eyes flashed.

"That wasn't my plan," she said, "but it's a way to get inside."

"No," Matt said, "It's too dangerous for you."

She threw up her arms.

"And this whole operation's not?"

Matt remained silent but his jaw tensed.

"You know what happens if we get caught," she said, "He'll probably kill the men quickly except for you and Antonio."

"That's not going to happen," Matt said.

"How do you know," she said, "You've not spent one minute with this guy, in his world. It's so ruthless and so unforgiving of mistakes. One wrong move..."

"We're going to be ready for anything," he said.

"You don't even know what's coming," she said, "You've got no idea what you're facing up against."

He grabbed her arms and looked at her closely.

"Yes I do," he said, "because I see that man and his world every time I look in your eyes."

She looked at him, in silence. And in his eyes, she saw the world she left behind.

* * *

Antonio waited for her in the courtyard and she appeared right on time, holding a book in her hand. When she saw him standing, she smiled and walked quickly towards him. He embraced his sister and swung her around.

"Oh I'm so excited to see you," Elena said, a huge smile on her face.

"Soon we won't have to be apart," Antonio said, "But first we have to do something very dangerous."

Her smile faded.

"I know," she said, "You have to confront Andre."

He heard the resignation laced with fear in her voice. He smoothed her hair with his callused hand.

"Elena, it will be worth it just to be back together with my sister," he said, "It's been a long road to get here."

"And a longer road still to go," she said.

"So Andre's almost ready for his party," Antonio said, "Making final arrangements?"

She nodded as they both sat down on a bench by a fountain.

"He's flying the caterers in and some entertainment," she said, "but he's got other plans he keeps close to him."

Andre thought he knew what they were.

"And the guests will be flying in," he asked.

"Some of them will land on his private air strip," she said, "Others will come in by boat."

"And where's Andre now?"

"He's briefing some of his top security men," she said, "then he'll be meeting with some of the local politicians."

"Who keep the island running for him while he's gone," Antonio said.

"So you need all this information on the party," Elena said, "What are you planning?"

"To get you out of there forever," he said, "That is what you want, isn't it?"

She looked conflicted beneath her smile.

"Yes I want to stay with you," she said, "You're the only family I have but Andre…he needs me too."

"He's a bad man," Antonio said.

"He's never hurt me," she protested.

"But he's hurt other women including C.J.," he said, "She was your friend, right?"

Elena nodded.

"She was very nice," she said, "but very unhappy and she told me what Andre did to Fernando."

"Fernando's body was dug up in a shallow grave in Andre's compound where you and C.J. stayed," Antonio said, "The authorities identified his body and found a bullet."

Elena grimaced, her eyes wide.

"How do you know this?"

"I have my ways of finding out what Andre's been up to," Antonio said, "In his eyes, Fernando betrayed him."

"C.J. tried to help him," Elena said, "but she said it was to protect me."

"I'll protect you," he said, "but the best way to do that is to get you away from him."

She nodded, her eyes filling with tears.

"Okay, I trust you," she said, "Tell me what I need to do."

And so he did, but somewhere in the dark corner of the courtyard, another man watched.

.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67---Here's the latest in this FF story. I hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading it (even though it's over a year old) and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

When Antonio and Elena parted ways inside the courtyard, Antonio headed back to the docks. A man followed him and although Antonio usually could sense such things, he remained unaware of it. He stopped by the bar to hook up with some of Andre's security force, who were seated at a table in the corner drinking and talking.

He grabbed the drink he ordered and sat down among them. They looked up at him and one of them laughed.

"Just make yourself at home," the man named Niklos said.

Antonio shrugged.

"I was passing through and I thought I'd find out what you're up to," he said.

"Meeting with the boss were you?"

The men looked at him for an answer.

"Actually I met with some of his freelancers who are searching for that woman who escaped from him."

Niklos nodded.

"They'll find her," he said, "The boss only hires the best and he wants to bring her back to the compound in time for the party."

"He's raising the bounty again, isn't he?"

"Five million," Niklos said, "Easy payday if you ask me. I wish I had that job."

Antonio sipped his drink.

"Not so easy," he said, "She's eluded some of his best hit men for months. Shot two of them."

Niklos shook his head.

"They were probably careless," he said, "This new crew of them will be much more effective."

"When did he send them out," Antonio said, sipping his drink.

"A week ago," Niklos said, "but another pair from Brazil went out today to search some islands not too far away from here."

"She's not alone," Antonio said, "She's got friends including highly armed mercenaries around her. She won't be easy to get at."

"It won't matter," Niklos said, "These men are the best. Anyone who gets in their way will wind up dead."

"Killing a crowd of people just to get her is unnecessary," Antonio said, thoughtfully, "Perhaps there's a better way."

* * *

C.J. and Matt sat with Novelli on the fishing boat drinking beer and watching the sun set, basking the pale blue water as it approached the horizon.

"It's sure beautiful out here," Novelli said, sipping from his bottle.

"Yeah it is," Matt said, "I can see why people hang their hats here."

"If Miami wasn't such a happening place and the kids were older, maybe we'd settle in the Caribbean," Novelli said.

"Mama would disown you if you picked up and moved again," Matt said.

Novelli smiled.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said, "She was so happy to move out to Florida. She liked living and working in L.A. but she never really felt home there."

Novelli turned to C.J. who was looking out over the water.

"What do you think?"

She turned to look at them.

"It's beautiful out here," she said, "but I want to go home."

"Back to L.A.?"

She shook her head.

"I don't think so."

Novelli looked at her puzzled.

"Why," he said, "I thought you loved living in L.A."

"I did," she said, "but I'm not going back there."

Matt heard the mixture of emotions in her voice and he understood why she didn't want to go back to L.A. Why she couldn't go back there. The City of the Angels had been their home for years which included more than their share of good memories but one incident of violence had erased all that history and replaced it with something else.

"Where do you want to go," Novelli asked.

She shrugged, but her eyes looked determined so Matt knew she had been thinking about it for a while more seriously than she'd let on.

"Back home to Texas," she said, finally.

"Where you grew up?"

She nodded.

"I wasn't born there but it's been more of a home to me than anywhere else."

"You've got friends living there," Novelli said, "but your career is in L.A. working with Matt in his agency. You've built a life there."

"I know," C.J. said, "but I'm not that person anymore. I'll never be her again."

Novelli looked at Matt who looked out at the ocean again. He knew his friend wasn't happy but would never admit it out loud.

"So what would you like to do instead?"

C.J. sighed.

"I haven't really thought about it," she said, "Someday I'd like to do work that helps other women, but I realize I have to help myself first."

"C.J., you're going to get through this," Novelli said, "It's just going to take time but it will be easier when we get these guys."

She looked at him, starting to say something and then she stopped. She smiled.

"I think I'm going to check on the fish."

Both men watched her as she disappeared below deck. Then Novelli turned to Matt.

"She's really serious about not going back to L.A.," he noted, "and moving to Texas."

Matt shook his head.

"I think she's still a long way from even doing that."

Novelli frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Matt sipped his beer.

"She might be planning on taking off."

Vince's eyes widened.

"By herself?"

Matt nodded.

"Why?"

"Because she believes that even if we bring Andre down, this other trafficker won't stop looking for her."

"The one whose tattoo is on her arm," Novelli said, "This Jaguar guy."

"I wish we knew more about him," Matt said, "There's very little information on these guys."

"Not surprising," Novelli said, "They spend most of their time in the shadows while appearing to the world to be legitimate business men but you said this guy was more powerful than Andre."

"She doesn't remember much about this guy if anything," Matt said, "but he's sure got her scared."

"So you think she might just disappear on you," Novelli said.

Matt paused.

"Or I might wake up one morning and she'll be gone."

"She must know it's more dangerous if she's out there on her own than with other people," Novelli reasoned, "and she's a very intelligent and resourceful woman not prone to making rash decisions."

"I know," Matt said, "but she's also been badly hurt and traumatized and that part of her is in control."

"Something inside her kept her alive," Novelli said, "and that something enabled her to escape from a compound where others died trying."

"Just barely," Matt said, "and I think she had some help. At least that's what she said."

"Elena," Novelli said.

Matt nodded.

"Now she thinks Elena's in danger because this Jaguar guy expressed such an interest in her."

Novelli made a face.

"Scum like him should be wiped off the face of the earth," he said, "but if he's caught, he'll probably be in some country which has no extradition agreement with the United States and out of our reach."

Matt nodded, knowing the ex-cop was right.

"And if she thinks that anything is going to happen to Elena, I don't know what she'll do to try and stop it but I know she'll do something even if she winds up paying for it."

Novelli looked at his long-time friend thoughtfully.

"You can't watch her all the time," he said, "You're just going to have to trust her."

"I do Vince," he said, "I'm just want to protect her from all this and I can't."

"You're doing the best that anyone could ever hope to, Matt," Novelli said, "We're going to get Andre and maybe if we're lucky enough, we'll get this Jaguar guy too."

* * *

Chris watched Rhonda pace in front of her.

"You're making me exhausted just watching you," she said.

Rhonda looked up at her.

"It just is so frustrating," she said, "I don't understand why Jonathan is staying here and sent Brad down to the Caribbean in his place."

Chris folded her arms.

"He's a supervisor," she said, "He delegates his responsibilities and he must have confidence in Brad's abilities as an agent to have sent him down there to help the FBI."

Rhonda threw up her arms.

"But they're going after the wrong person," she said, "Matt's innocent. Andre Duval's the real criminal."

"We know that," Chris said, "But the FBI's been a step or two behind since this whole nightmare began. Hell even before that."

Rhonda nodded.

"When they recruited C.J. to do that stupid surveillance assignment in the first place."

"Matt's right," Chris said, "They should have protected her better than they did. At least Jonathan was there when she needed him."

"He was, wasn't he," Rhonda said, "He's someone you can really count on."

Chris looked at her, puzzled.

"That's an interesting comment from someone like you."

Rhonda found herself getting defensive.

"Well, he's not that bad of a guy…really," she said, "And he's very professional."

Chris raised a brow.

"Are you speaking strictly about his professional skills, or is this more personal?"

Rhonda closed her mouth. She knew when she'd been caught.

"Both."

Chris chuckled.

"You really like this guy," she said, "Who would have thought?"

Rhonda glowered.

"Now what does that mean?"

Chris stopped laughing when she saw the expression in her friend's eyes but her eyes still sparkled.

"He's a great guy Rhonda," she said, "If you wanted to, you could do a whole lot worse than him."

"Well gee thanks," Rhonda grumbled, "It just so happens that there's nothing between us."

"But you want to change that," Chris finished, "Do you need any help?"

Rhonda grew indignant but Chris didn't think she felt nearly as much so as she looked.

"Well do you," Chris persisted.

"No…Yes… I don't know."

"This isn't a multiple choice question," Chris said, "I just asked if you needed my help although considering that you've got a regular lunch gig set up with him, I don't think you need it."

Rhonda's cheeks grew flushed.

"If I didn't make sure he got a bite to eat every day," she said, "Who would?"

"I'm not knocking you," Chris said, "I'm just trying to help you…as a friend."

Rhonda's face broke into a smile.

"Okay, I guess I could use some help," she said, "Whatever advice you have, I'm all ears."

Chris looked at the excitement that crossed the other woman's face, and saw herself there not too long after she had met the man who became the love of her life.

* * *

C.J. looked at the fish, sizzling on the plate. She thought they looked fine sitting there, but then her faith in her culinary skills had never been particularly strong. After all, she had never had parents to teach her and the uncle who had raised her kept it economical and simple. She envied Matt his ease in the kitchen, nurtured by years spent in the kitchen watching and learning from the cook who taught him everything he knew about meal preparation and life. As handy with a skillet as he was with a horse, Matt still surprised her on occasion with meals that were truly wonderful. She suspected he charmed more than a few women with his skills in the kitchen as well as in other areas.

She hunted around the cupboards looking for spices to add to the fish and found a couple that she liked. She sprinkled them on the fish, enjoying the scents which reminded her of better times spent with her best friend far away from where they were now.

C.J. enjoyed the time she spent on the boat and out on the ocean, with nothing but the endless span of water ahead of her, behind her and surrounding her. Whether basking in the heat of mid-day or enjoying the pleasantly warm nights beneath a sea of stars, she felt relaxed and safe.

She found her thoughts drifting to Elena, wondering how she was doing hundreds of miles inside Andre's compound and his world. While it was true that Andre had never laid a hand to her or on her, she still worried about the younger girl in the face of the realization that she had been targeted by one of Andre's partners who had only focused his sights on C.J. after Andre had made it clear that he would never get Elena.

If it hadn't been for her…

C.J. hadn't even wanted to think about what lay in store for her if she hadn't been able to escape from the Washington compound before the Jaguar could send his men to collect her. Each day, she struggled to get through often feeling as if she had substituted one prison for another, she felt blessed that she remained out of reach of those hunting her. At least for now, if only during her waking hours.

At night, well that was a different story and even with Matt there to hold her close when she awoke from her nightmares, she still felt like she lived on borrowed time until he found her again.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw smoke and she rushed over to the stove to save the fish from burning. Shaking her head, she grabbed some plates and scooped the fish onto them.

* * *

Elena looked at C.J. and then she looked at the man lying on the floor of the office, bleeding profusely from a stab wound. She saw the letter opener still in C.J.'s hand.

"What did you do?"

C.J. heard her voice and looked at her.

"I had no choice," she said, "I'm getting out of here."

Elena knelt down to check Piser.

"He's dead," she said, "You killed him."

"He was going to find me," C.J. said, "I couldn't let that happen."

"But that's murder," Elena cried.

"Is it?"

Elena stammered. It was the first time C.J. had ever seen her lose control of her emotions.

"Why yes…What did he do to you?"

C.J. looked at the younger girl thoughtfully. How could she sum up what he had done to her beginning back in a remote county in Arizona in the few words that time had given her to say?

"It's complicated," she said, "but you have to trust me on this one. Piser was an evil man."

Elena nodded slowly, her eyes forlorn. C.J. felt empathy for her watching the young girl's world fall apart. She wished she could say something but she had to leave.

She dropped the letter opener which landed next to Piser's body and started to walk away.

"You're hurt," Elena said, "What happened?"

C.J. looked at her throbbing wrist which she held close to her.

"I broke it to get away."

And then she started running without looking back.

* * *

She wiped the tears that had escaped while she remembered. Elena hadn't called the guards on her. The only ones who tried to stop her were those whose paths crossed with hers. And when she had jumped into the river, she had left them behind.

As far as she knew, Elena hadn't experienced any repercussions for helping her but she had suffered from her exposure to the truth about her employer. The harsh realization that although her cage was gilded, it was still a cage. She hoped that their plan to help Elena would set her free and she could build a new life for herself even if she could never go home.

Sometimes it just wasn't possible to go home, a reality that C.J. knew intimately.

* * *

"So what are you going to do," Novelli asked as each of them cracked open another can of beer.

"About what," Matt said, "You mean about C.J. trying to run away?"

Novelli sipped his beer.

"No about her going back to Texas."

Matt didn't know what to say about that. He thought that was the least of his problems.

"What do you mean Vince?"

"She's your closest friend Matt," he said, "and she's going to be over a thousand miles away from you trying to pick up the pieces of a broken life."

Matt looked at his own drink thoughtfully.

"She doesn't want to go back to L.A.," he said, "Too many reminders of what happened."

Novelli gazed at Matt thoughtfully.

"Are you really going to be able to live without her being a part of your life?"

"She'll still be in my life," he said, "Texas isn't that far away from L.A."

Vince narrowed his eyes.

"Will visiting her on occasion be enough for you?"

Matt sighed.

"It will have to be," he said, "I think she needs the time to heal some place where she doesn't face constant reminders."

"Do you think that's how she looks at you?"

Matt looked back out at the ocean.

"No," he said, "but my life is out there and hers can't be."

Novelli noted the wistfulness in his friend's voice.

"Would you ever consider giving up what you have in L.A. to stay with her in Texas?"

Matt sipped his beer and nodded.

"I would pack up and go on a dime," he said, "but I'm not sure that's what she really needs."

Novelli smiled.

"I would think that's exactly what she needs."

Matt looked at him, brows raised.

"Vince, what are you trying to say?"

Novelli paused.

"That you love her," he said.

"Of course I do," Matt said, "What kind of statement is that?"

Vince's eyes grew serious.

"No, I mean that you love her."

Matt looked at him, startled and the look in his eyes told Vince everything he needed to know.

* * *

Andre sat in his office when he heard a knock on the door.

"Elena, is that you with the Singapore documents…"

The door opened and Andre quickly saw that it wasn't Elena standing there.

"Antonio."

The other man nodded.

"Why have you come here," Andre asked, "It's been a while since we've spoken."

Antonio sat down in a chair opposite him.

"I have something I need to discuss with you."


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68--The latest chapter of this FF is up. Thanks for reading and for the comments!

* * *

Elena looked up at Andre, who sat on the couch making phone calls to wrap up some business deals before he met with his security team to iron out the last minute details of his gala. Everyone on Sapphire Island always knew when her employer returned to his compound to host another party, even though few people who lived on the island were invited.

She knew that the ports would be busy with guests sailing in by boat and Andre's own private airstep would soon be filled with Lear and Gulfstream jets which would start landing shortly. She had finalized some flight plans submitted by guests who would be flying in for the soiree.

"Elena, did you hear back from the caterers?"

She looked up and saw that Andre had just gotten off the phone.

"I received background checks on all of them which I handed off to the security chief," she said, "The food's on its way here right now along with the chefs."

He nodded, satisfied.

"That's good," he said, "You've done a great job with the organizing of this event as usual."

She smiled.

"I do my best," she said, "I'm really looking forward to this party."

He stood up and started to leave.

"Oh, I'm expecting a phone call from Stefan Kostas," he said, "Forward it immediately to my office. It's important that I speak with him."

"I will do that," she said, as he left the room.

She frowned at the mention of Kostas. She didn't like and didn't care for his manner when he had called her on the phone. She had only seen him in passing when he visited the compound up in Washington months ago. He struck her as a powerful but menacing man, one she wanted to put as much distance from as possible even though he had engaged in flattering her over the phone.

* * *

Antonio untied his boat from the mooring and prepared to board it, when Niklos walked up towards him.

"You leaving already?"

Antonio nodded.

"I'll be back," he said, "Duval has me doing another job for him."

"What's he got you doing now?"

Antonio picked up his bag.

"There's a guy out in Texas he wants me to take care of," he said, "He's got men positioned and ready there but he wants me to contact them and give them the final orders."

"Another loose string to tie up," the man said.

Antonio studied him carefully.

"Perhaps," he said, climbing onto the deck of his boat.

Niklos looked at him and laughed.

"See you in a couple of days," he said.

Antonio watched Niklos walk away on down the dock and then shook his head. He had worked alongside the man from the time he first joined up with Andre's busines. In other circumstances, they might have been friends but in this world, it was difficult to make them. No one trusted anyone else.

The boat drew away from the docks, heading out of the harbor into open sea which would take him back to where the others waited for him. He took out his cellphone to make a call.

* * *

Matt sat on the deck of the bungalow thinking a long time about what Novelli had said about his feelings towards his life-long friend. He had known C.J. for more years of his life than he hadn't, ever since they had first met on the school yard after she had punched the class bully out cold. She had been suspended for a week and her uncle had grounded her on his ranch as punishment. Instead of sitting around the house and sulking about it, C.J. had taken her horse out riding most mornings around her uncle's ranch and on the afternoons, had wandered off towards the river to do some fishing, even if it meant trespassing on neighborhing properties. Comfortable on her own, she finished off each day doing her chores in double time so that her uncle wouldn't complain. But until then, the time she spent each day the sun rose, was her own to go anywhere on her horse she pleased.

Including his daddy's ranch, where he had found her one day at his fishing hole, sitting there with her pole and catching some fish. Curiousity had quickly overcome his ire at the spirited young girl who had caught his interest at school and he had struck up a conversation with her. After that, Matt had spent his afternoons after school with her while she rode out the rest of her exile until she was allowed to return to school. Her suspension hadn't held her back long and her native intelligence combined with a gift for gab and a work ethic that rivaled just about everyone else's soon propelled her to the top of their class. He didn't mind hanging out with the smartest kid in school who most the other students considered a nerd at first, not to mention someone with a pair of fists to watch out for, lest they be aimed in your direction.

Matt spent most of his own free time working on his father's ranch, while he was away conducting business. He had grown up with the ranch hands, spending much of his time in the bunkhouse or out camping on the outreaches of the property while they searched for stray cattle. Ever since his traumatic kidnapping for ransom at a very young age, he felt more comfortable sticking close to his home. Even though years had passed and both time and the love of his father had proven to be good healing, he still bore scars from that frightning lesson that he had learned about the world being place of perilous danger as well as wondrous things.

He knew that C.J bore her own scars at a young age, likely caused by losing her parents at a young age and being sent off to live with a relative she barely knew, one who sometimes it seemed hadn't wanted her in his life. They had learned similar lessons at a similar time in their life and that bonded them together.

Thei r friendship had developed slowly until it had taken root and grown over the years as both had seen each other through many good and bad times. He had been a popular kid beginning in junior high school but his friendship with her had been special. During certain times of the year, they both worked hard on their ranches and occasionally on each others, not having much time to engage in social activities. And during the peak of the cattle season, both missed days in school riding and working hard from sunrise to sunset. Still, C.J. had always led her classes academically and Matt had emerged out of high school, a top athlete in both football and baseball.

He had gone off to a military academy beginning his freshman year in high school while C.J. had remained at the local highschool attending with her friend Julia. He and C.J. had attended social events at each other's schools but didn't see each other as much as they had earlier except during the summer vacations. And Matt hadn't attended the social functions alone. He and Scott who was also a cadet had brought dates with them until Scott had hooked up with Julia.

Matt remembered back in those days when the four of them had hung out when they all attended the same university in Texas even though Scott had to be rescued from his lack of judgment and reckless behavior on several occasions, Matt recalled thinking back to those days. More so, than even another college friend of his and C.J.'s, Robert Tyler, who currently was sitting in state prison after being convicted of murdering and kidnapping not long after he had asked C.J. to marry him. Like Scott, Robert had wanted easy fame and money no matter what the cost and in both cases, it had taken Matt years to realize the truth about how far their greed had driven them.

C.J. joined him on the porch with some juice and handed him a glass. He took it, smiling at her and nodding his thanks. She wore her hair swept off of her neck and a print shirt with shorts and bared feet.

"Don't be thinking too hard now," she said, softly as she sat down beside him, "the past is the past."

He looked at her and he knew from her expression that she had some idea about his latest trip down memory lane.

"Now how did you know…"

She laughed.

"Houston," she said, "I just know when you got that look on your face that you're thinking about growing up back in Texas on your daddy's ranch."

He smiled again.

"Those were good years C.J.," he said, "Some of the best."

She nodded.

"I know," she said, "and remembering them got me through some tough times even when it was too painful to remember."

He grew silent for a moment and caressed his glass.

"I was thinking about Scott and Robert and how we all hung out together in college."

She made a face.

"Now there's a pair," she said, "I didn't see through either one of them until it was too late."

"But you did with Scott and I didn't pay any attention to that," Matt said.

She sighed.

"Houston, there was nothing to pay attention to," she said, "I couldn't even get a handle on my own suspicions and after that experience with Duval, I was so shocked that I couldn't put my mind around exactly what he had done for a long time."

"I didn't know that he had gotten as bad as he did," Matt said, "I trusted him and I kept giving him second and third chances to just grow up and get out of his pattern of getting into trouble and having to be bailed out."

She rubbed his shoulder.

"You were trying to be a friend Houston," she said, "He just wasn't worth it, that's all."

"He really did a number on you C.J. and I can't even forgive myself for that," Matt said.

Her face softened.

"There's nothing to forgive," she said, "I don't know what I'd be doing now if it hadn't been for you and you did punch his lights out and I thank you for that."

"He deserved more than that," Matt grumbled.

C.J. shook her head slowly.

"I've thought a lot about what I would do to him if I ever saw him again," she said, "How many different ways I could hurt him and whether I wouldn't stop there…"

He studied her face and knew she was serious. He also knew she had a right to be.

"I felt the same way and I did see him," Matt said, "and I almost didn't stop there. If things hadn't gotten so chaotic what with the car bomb, I might have gone back and hurt him worse and once I started, I don't know if I could have stopped myself."

"But you didn't," she said, "You came and found me instead."

She leaned her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her holding her tight.

Novelli walked up to where they sat.

"Is this a private party?"

They both shook their heads.

"Come on and sit down Vince," Matt said, "It might be your last chance to relax before things get moving."

"Hopefully not my last chance ever," Novelli said, "This is going to be very dangerous once it does get started."

"We know that Vince and we're both grateful that you're here to join us," Matt said, amiably, "It just wouldn't be the same without you."

"The boat's ready to go," Vince said, "We just have to wait for this Antonio character to return."

Matt grew silent for a while. C.J. looked at him and knew why.

"Houston, you having second thoughts about this," she asked.

He sipped his juice.

"No, just him."

She tilted her head.

"I know it's risky trusting him to help us," she said, "but if we want to get Andre, we don't have a choice."

Novelli nodded.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think she's right."

Matt grimaced.

"I know that, but what do we know about the guy? We know he works security for Andre and he's got the chimera tattoo showing that."

"He loves his sister," C.J. said.

"And that would hurt us as much as it helps us," Matt finished, "especially if we forget that his sister comes before everyone else in this party."

C.J. looked at her glass.

"I don't blame him for that," she said, "I might be the same way in his position."

Matt looked ahead.

"I guess we're going to find out soon enough," he said.

* * *

Chris and Roy sat in her office going through some files. She hoped to get through the last few boxes so she could hand them off to Scott and then not have to see his traitor face again for a while. Murray had promised her that when this assignment was completed, she could return back to doing her administrative assignments. She had poured herself more coffee, relieved at that news before the president of Houston Enterprises had taken off early to attend another Begonia Club meeting.

"I can't look at him any longer Roy," she said, "I just want to punch him out like Matt did."

Roy smiled.

"Not that he doesn't deserve it, but I don't want to have to bail you out of jail on assault charges."

She sighed.

"You're right," she said, "but I'm so tempted sometimes."

Roy didn't mention to her how he felt the same way. In fact, when they bumped into each other in the break room, it was all Roy could do not to resort to using his fighting skills picked up from the best experts in all different disciplines while he worked for the Company. And with each passing day, it had become more and more a temptation. Still, he knew that if he succumbed to his wishes to pummel or kick Matt's former friend into a pulp, it would do more harm than good as far as helping C.J. and Matt was concerned. Roy wanted nothing more than for them to come home safely and try to return to their lives, not that it would be easy especially for C.J.

Chris looked up from her work.

"I'm meeting Rhonda and Fran for dinner," she said, "Would you like to come?"

Roy nodded.

"Sounds good to me," he said, "I just have to do some work on the computer here.

She turned towards her own work when she heard someone knock the door. Both of them looked up and saw Scott standing there, grinning ear to ear.

C.J. looked at Matt knowing he had his doubts about Andre and knowing that she needed to trust them. In all their years together, he had never led her astray with his concerns once including when he discovered that her boyfriend, Robert, had not only reported on kidnappings and murders, he had actually committed them. The pain that struck her like shards of glass through her heart had caused her briefly to doubt Matt's words and his intentions and in fact, she had threatened to resign her position with his agency. But she had discovered soon enough through her own instincts and her questioning of Robert that he had been right. And she knew in her heart the entire time that he had meant to spare her from even worse pain and probable danger down the line.

Still, Antonio had seemed truly repentent for the pain he had caused C.J. by leading her down the hallway to her rapist and she hadn't doubted that the pain on his face and in his voice when he recounted those events had been sincerely felt. Still, she knew he bore the tattoo that marked him as one of Duval's most trustworthy employees and now, he appeared to be turning on him if only to save the one sister he had left in the world.

"Housten, we have to trust him," she said, "At least in his love for his sister."

"That's the problem C.J.," Matt said, "His love for his sister might lead him to going through extremes to try and save her."

She looked at him.

"I want to help him," she said, "Elena doesn't belong in Andre's world but she won't leave him unless her brother tells her to do so."

"I want to help her get out of that mess too C.J.," Matt said, "but I don't want to jeopardize your safety to do it."

"Houston, I don't want to go back in there either," she said, "Believe me, it's the last place I want to be, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder for more hitmen trying to harm you just to take me back to him."

"I'm never going to let that happen," he said, "Not ever."

She smiled.

"I know you'll do your best," she said, "but I want out of what my life has turned into, I want out of Witness Protection and having to hide out in faraway places under different names and being shuttled around in cars with tinted windows…"

"I want him dead," Matt said, "And we have to face it, that might be the only way that you're free."

She looked at him startled, knowing that he said out loud what she had been fearing for a while. That as long as Andre lived, he might never let her go.

Novelli put his hand up.

"Look, we've got a plan ironed out and we should stick to it as long as we can," he said, "Changing it now means we might miss our big opportunity at his party."

Matt nodded.

"You're right," he said, "We have to stay focused and carry it out step by step and be patient. We make one mistake and it could all go up."

C.J. looked at both of them, knowing that they were concerned about her safety first, but she in turn worried about theirs. The plan to liberate her from Duval could cost them both of their lives, leaving only their families to mourn them.

"We can't make any mistakes," she said.

"And we won't…"

They all looked up and saw Antonio walking towards them.

"We're going to have to get ready to move pretty fast," he warned them.

* * *

Chris looked up not bothering to hide her disgust from Scott who walked in her office without waiting to be invited.

"Busy here working and finishing up, I see."

She nodded, trying to keep her temper in check.

"I'll be all done and then I won't have to look at you anymore," she said.

"That should make you happy then," Scott said, "It's a shame that it had to come to that but we can get it all straightened out when Matt returns."

Chris bit her tongue.

"We'll see what happens when Matt returns," she agreed, "though I don't think the outcome is going to be all that good for one of us."

Scott waved his arm.

"I'm sure he'll be over his little pique at me by then," he said, "and then we can get back to the work of making Houston Enterprises the best it can be."

She looked at him puzzled.

"Why are you still here," she said, "I thought you were going to attend the shareholders meeting today."

He shrugged noncommittedly.

"I am," he said, "I am having my car washed first and the man hasn't arrived to pick it up."

Chris looked at him pointedly.

"You don't deserve to represent this company at any meeting," she said, "but we won't have to worry about that when Matt gets back because he'll kick your butt out of here."

"Maybe…maybe not," Scott said, looking at his nails.

Suddenly a young man entered the room.

"What is it," Scott asked.

The man looked ill at ease.

"I'm here to pick up your car to take it to get washed."

Scott handed him the keys.

"Take good care of it," he said, "I'll know if you scratch it."

The man nodded and left.

"You have to be careful who you trust to handle your possessions," he said.

Chris had to agree. After all, Scott's car was a beaut, being a top of the assembly line Corvette.

"I'll take your word on it," she said dryly.

He started to smile when suddenly they heard a loud boom that shook the building.

Chris looked wide-eyed.

"What in the hell was that?"

Scott looked at both of them fearfully though he tried to hide it.

"It sounded like an explosion," Roy noted, jumping up, "coming from outside the building."

And just like that, suddenly Scott just knew as he got up and ran out of the office towards the parking garage without saying a word. Roy and Chris following just behind him.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Chapter 69---Here's the latest fanfiction chapter. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and the feedback. Document manager is down again but I found a way to get chapters up finally.

* * *

By the time Chris and Roy joined Scott in the parking garage, the fire which consumed what had once been a top of the line Corvette had nearly burned itself out. Scott had run up to the car but had backed away suddenly from the intense heat which still radiated from the burned out hulk of metal.

"Get away from there," Roy warned, "There might be another explosive device."

Chris looked fearfully up at Roy.

"These must be the same people who tried to blow up Jonathan's car," she said.

Scott scrambled back to where they were standing, his face etched in terror.

"Did you see what happened to my car?"

Roy looked past him and tried to look beyond the thick smoke enveloping the garage at the car where no doubt, inside a man had burned to death simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He grabbed Scott by his shirt collar and pulled him off the ground.

"You know what just happened to your car," Roy said, "I doubt that poor man inside it ever had a chance."

Scott tried to pull away.

"Surely you can't blame what happened on me," he said, "I'm as much a victim as the man I sent out to get it cleaned."

Roy's face recoiled in disgust. In all of his years working in military intelligence and then in covert operations for the Company, he had seen many disgusting things and even more disgusting people. Still, the young man in front of him wearing a three-piece Armani suit held his own special place on that list.

"Someone obviously doesn't like you very much," Roy said, finally letting him go, "Who did you get on the wrong side of this time?"

Scott feigned innocence.

"Surely you can't be suggesting," he said, brushing his suit off, "and you can't be accusing…"

His attempts wore thin on both Chris and Roy. She had called 911 but knew it was too late to save the man still trapped inside Scott's car. They had known from the moment they saw the flaming wreck that there was no hope for saving him.

She and Roy heard sirens in the distance, approaching the garage just as they had when the last car bomb had exploded several months ago.

"What do you want to bet this is a Duval production," she said.

Roy nodded.

"I wouldn't take that one," he said, "and I bet our colleague here knows more than he's telling."

Chris sighed.

"Maybe our trap worked all too well."

Roy looked at her as several squad cars and fire trucks came driving into the garage. The firemen got out of the car and quickly looked for a hydrant for their hoses. Another car pulled up and Chris saw Dan get out of it. He ran towards her and embraced her tightly.

* * *

C.J. looked up and saw him coming from the beach towards her. She waited until he approached her.

"Antonio," she said, simply.

He smiled and nodded his head.

"I just got back from some meetings on Sapphire Island," he said, "We're going to have to start moving pretty quickly."

She looked at him carefully and noticed he seemed tired.

"How's Elena?"

He smiled again.

"She's doing well," he said, "Still I can't wait to get her out of there for good."

She took his hand in hers.

"We're going to do that Antonio," she said, "Matt and the others have been finalizing our plan. It's going to work."

"I hope so," he said, sitting down beside her.

"It's just going to take careful coordination and almost perfect timing," she said, "We've had a lot of practice at both."

He nodded.

"You and Matt have done a lot of these types of operations?"

"Nothing quite this big," she said, "but we've had our moments.

"This operation will be most difficult," Antonio said, picking up a stick and drawing in the sand, "More reinforcements, difficult topography surrounding the compound and Elena will be close to Antonio at all times."

"That will make our job easier," she said, "We're targeting him and rescuing her."

He looked troubled, beneath his calm demeanor.

"If he finds out we're there, he might use that against us…and against her."

C.J. shook her head.

"I don't think he'll do anything to hurt her," she said, "For whatever reason, she's been spared his cruelty."

He looked at her.

"But not you," he said, "in part because of her."

She sighed.

"You mean the Jaguar," she said.

He nodded.

"He's been invited," he said, "and he's still after you."

"I know," she said, "but as long as it's me he wants, he'll leave Elena alone."

He paused.

"That matters a great deal to you," he said.

She looked at him.

"Yes it does," she said, "Does that surprise you?"

He had no response.

"Don't tell me what I've said has robbed you of your speech."

He rubbed his forehead.

"Why should you care about her," he said, "You barely knew my sister."

"About as well as you do," C.J. said, "enough to know she has no part in Andre's world. She doesn't belong there."

"But she works for him," Antonio said, "She carried out every order he gave her involving you even when you were being abused."

C.J. swallowed noisily.

"She made living in hell a little more bearable," she said, "enough so I could make it through each day…and night. I was cut off from everyone I knew and loved, forever and after that first night…I felt like my whole world had come to an end. She was kind to me and she helped me when she could."

"She felt badly for you," he said, nodding, "and for her own role in your captivity."

"She shouldn't," C.J. said, "but she's good hearted so that's why it's hard to live with but that doesn't make it her fault."

He studied her for a moment in a way that caused discomfort to creep up the back of her neck. Finally, he smiled and stood up.

"Thank you for telling me this," he said, "There's so much I still don't know."

She looked up at him.

"Well, when we get your sister out of that place, you can ask her."

* * *

Matt sat on the porch drinking beer after Brady and Novelli had left him. He decided to relax after having held another strategic planning meeting. It seemed like every time they did that, some new logistic arose that they hadn't accounted for or factored into their operation. Sometimes that left Matt feeling like they were starting from scratch, with the clock ticking away valuable time.

C.J. had left them to walk on the beach for a while. He knew she needed time away from everyone else so that she could think. It was hard for him to watch her walk away and stay behind but he knew that the time spent alone in reflection in such a beautiful and serene place did her a world of good. She had struggled so hard for so long first to forget what had happened to her in Duval's custody in order to survive it. Then she faced harder challenges still trying to face it and come to terms with the nightmare that she experienced, and still felt keenly every moment of her life.

Matt ached for the pain he knew she carried because he understood it, having faced traumatic experiences in his own life that took years to recover from, both as a young boy in Texas and an older man who had been abducted and brainwashed. He hadn't yet met C.J. when he had been kidnapped but still carried some of the scars deeply etched in his mind and heart when they did meet. It didn't take him long to share with her what he had been through while held captive during several terrifying days awaiting rescue and one day, while they fished at the watering hole he had looked at her sitting there patiently with her pole not really carrying whether she caught anything or not and knew he could tell her everything.

She had accepted his words and his feelings including some that had been buried so deeply without judgment or really saying anything at all. She listened until he had finished talking and then had slipped her hand in his and squeezed it tight. That simple contact had meant more to him at the time than any words and it still did years later.

He sipped his beer thoughtfully, remembering that she had been there for him during traumatic experiences he faced when he was older, when he learned there were worse things than darkness. Never losing patience with him and quietly accepting any anger, fear or pain that he expressed. And he had wanted to do the same for her.

His own experiences had taught him that recovery from the worst that life could show you took time and a lot of patience and reflection which weren't his two strongest qualities. She had both in her favor but it had still proven to be a tough journey that was far from completion.

"Matt…"

He looked up and saw Serena who wore a serious expression in her eyes that belied her smile.

"What is it," he asked.

She hesitated, before sitting down. He tossed her a beer from the cooler.

"I've been on the radio all day," she said, "Damn traffic, it's hard to make anything out since news got out about the big wing-ding on Sapphire Island."

"The one we're going to crash."

She nodded.

"Well Duval's men have been scouting the islands looking for C.J. before the party because one of the guests…"

"I know, this Jaguar character bought her from Duval."

"I think there might be some heading to our island," she said, sipping her beer, "Of course they could be here already."

"Wouldn't someone know?"

"Duval's pretty slick at keeping his guys under the radar," Serena said, "So they could slip on by us fairly easily."

"We're pretty fortified here," Matt said, "We'll have to be careful going into town and we're out of here pretty soon anyway."

"You still need to be careful," Serena said, "Duval's got money to burn and he can hire the best and most ruthless but I'm sure you know that."

Matt nodded.

"We've stayed one step ahead of them so far," he said, "not that it's been easy."

"It will be easier than what you'll face on Sapphire Island," she said.

"I know but it's time to end this nightmare," Matt said, "We're just going to have to make sure nothing happens except to Duval and his men."

* * *

Scott still stood and looked at his burnt out shell of a Corvette in disbelief. The coroner's truck had arrived to transport the unfortunate occupant of the car away once he was excavated from the car. After Dan had made sure that Chris and Roy were okay, he talked to the police investigators and they tried to assess whether this bombing was related to the previous one.

Jonathan had also arrived and informed them that it was likely that the FBI would be taking jurisdiction and that they'd be hearing from Agent Denton some time soon.

"I'm pretty sure this is Duval's work," he said, "Perhaps Scott Prescow will be interested in telling us what he did to upset him."

"Chris, Rhonda and Fran worked with Matt to set up Scott," Dan explained.

Jonathan's eyes rolled towards the back of his head.

"They should have let the authorities handle it," he said.

"I agree," Dan said, "but the authorities have been taking their damn sweet time with all this. They're no more closer to making a bust than they were when you and I were nearly blown up."

"We know much more now than then," Jonathan protested.

Dan shrugged.

"But you haven't done anything with that information."

Chris folded her arms.

"And Matt and C.J. are the targets of some man hunt by your people…"

Jonathan put his hand up.

"Now hold on, they weren't 'my' people," he said, "The FBI is responsible for that and I have my best guy on the task force that's down there right now keeping me posted on everything that's going on."

"Semantics," Chris continued, "and none of that will get us any closer to seeing our friends again and getting Andre Duval in prison with the rest of his family."

"You know I want that outcome more than anything," Jonathan said, "but we've got to be careful and methodical with our investigation."

She sighed.

"I don't want to hear it anymore," she said, "I just want Matt and C.J. back home. Now go and interview Scott because he obviously knows more than he's telling."

"How do you know?"

She shook her head in reproach.

"Because that's how we set it up," she said, "We arranged it with Matt to make sure that Scott had some idea where Matt and C.J. so we could catch him contacting his real boss."

"Scott did work for Andre years ago," Jonathan said, "I know that for a fact unfortunately."

"He still does Jonathan," she said, "We both know that is the truth because if it weren't, Scott would still have his Corvette."

"And that man would be alive today," Jonathan said, "Your plan had a mixed outcome."

She sunk her head, knowing that all too well but you couldn't change the past, let alone undo it. Jonathan looked at her and ran his hand through his hair.

"Look, we're going to interview Scott again," he said, "Maybe this will put the fear of God into him and he'll finally talk."

She just nodded while he walked over to Scott.

"Do you have anything to say Mr. Prescow," he asked.

Scott turned to look at him irritated.

"Why would I," he said, "This could have been mistaken identity."

Jonathan laughed harshly.

"Yeah they blew up the wrong guy," he said, "but other than that, we both know who Andre Duval was really after."

Scott scoffed.

"How do you know it was him?"

"When he analyze the explosive device used," Jonathan said, "It will come back with Duval, sr.'s prints all over it just like the one that blew up my late supervisor and the one that nearly blew up me."

Scott had no response to that.

* * *

C.J. walked up to where Matt and Serena sat drinking beer. She got one for herself and sat down.

"Good to see you Ms Parsons," Matt said.

She smiled back.

"I didn't want to miss that view," she said, "It's always gorgeous no matter what time of day."

Serena nodded.

"That's why I wouldn't live anywhere else."

"So how was it," Matt asked.

C.J. looked at her beer.

"Peaceful," she said, "I'm sorry, I just really need some time by myself sometimes."

He nodded.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," he said, "It's been very noisy around here lately."

"I saw Antonio," she said.

"He made it back," Matt said, "Did he find out anything?"

"Security's going to be really tight," she said, "but we already knew that. He really misses Elena."

"He'll see her again," Matt said, "and this time it will be for good."

"God I hope so," C.J. said, "I want a happy ending to come out of this…at least for someone."

"There's going to be more than one happy ending C.J.," he said, "You'll find yours. It's just going to take some time but that's what we're all here for."

She smiled.

"I know and I'm very grateful," she said, "I can't wait until it's all over."

He picked up the myriad of emotions in her voice, overlapping one another and he put his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer to him.

"Me neither," he said.

"So much has to go exactly as planned," she said, "and we both know that hardly ever happens."

"We'll make contingency plans," he said, "and we'll be very, very careful."

"It will take a lot to be able to bring down a man like Andre," she said, "It might take everything we have."

He hugged her even closer.

"If that's what it takes…"

She nestled closer to him, taking in his warmth and his familiar scent.

_Contingency plan_, she thought to herself, _I definitely will need one of my own. _

Matt closed his eyes,

_I've got to bring her out of this nightmare no matter what_

* * *

Andre sat inside his office on the phone.

"Did it go off without a hitch," he asked.

The person on the other end hesitated.

"Not exactly," he said, "Someone was killed but not the intended target."

Andre paused.

"I want him taken care of, before he finds out who the Jaguar is," he said, "preferably done by the next time you call me with an update."

"Yes sir," the voice said, "Consider it already done."

Andre got off the phone, sighing. He had his quarry to get back and time was running out.

* * *

Jonathan approached Scott again but found him no more cooperative.

"We need to have a talk," he said, "Of course we should wait until Agent Denton arrives."

Scott blanched.

"I have nothing to say to him…or you."

"You might want to reconsider that Mr. Prescow," Jonathan said, "Next time Duval sends someone after you, he won't miss."

"I told you it was probably not intended for me."

"Oh so someone really did want to kill that poor man you hired to wash your car," Jonathan said, "I wish I could hang you up on manslaughter charges but I don't have jurisdiction and I'm after much bigger fish than you."

"Andre Duval."

Jonathan nodded.

"At least we got that out of the way," he said, "and got his name on the table. Perhaps we can take this conversation and continue it elsewhere."

Scott looked at him and Jonathan almost started thinking he had convinced him to save his own life instead of continuing to protect the man now trying to kill him.

Except…

Scott broke out of his train of thought and shook his head.

"What do you think I'm crazy talking to you," he said, "it will take a lot more than sweet talk from you or more threats by Denton to get anything out of me."

With that, he walked away leaving Jonathan shaking his head.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70---This is the latest chapter of this FF story. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and for the comments.

* * *

Chris poured herself some beer from the pitcher at their favorite sports bar. Rhonda and Fran just stared at her as she readied herself to drink her third glass since their arrival.

"Take it easy there Chris," Rhonda cautioned.

"I don't know how many of these car bombings I can take," Chris said, taking a sip.

"It must have been awful," Rhonda said, "Does anyone know who that poor man was who got killed?"

Chris shook her head.

"Just some poor man who was there to take Scott's car to get it washed," she said, looking miserable, "I feel like it's my fault somehow since we set Scott up."

Rhonda shook her head.

"Not to get blown up," she said.

Chris slammed her glass on the table and the other two women reacted.

"Oh come on Rhonda," she said, "When we fed him the information about C.J. and Matt's whereabouts…"

"That was fed to us by Matt for a reason," Rhonda reminded her.

Chris shrugged.

"Yeah but when we passed it along to Scott, we did it knowing and hoping he would run off to Andre Duval with it," she said, "and when he did that, we knew that Andre would respond."

"I didn't think he'd be blowing up cars," Rhonda protested.

"We should have, after what happened to Jonathan in the same garage," Chris said, "After all, we know who Andre's father is and that he left him everything he had left including plenty of explosives."

Fran nodded.

"I see where Chris is coming from," she said, "but I also see where we didn't have a choice not if we want to see our friends again."

Chris sighed as the waiter brought the chicken wing basket.

"I know that too," she said, "which is what makes it even more difficult to accept that so far, all that information has done is get someone killed."

Rhonda rubbed Chris' shoulder.

"People are dying because these are bad men," she said, "And unless they're stopped, more people are going to die."

Fran picked up a chicken wing.

"Is the FBI going to interview Scott again?"

Chris shrugged.

"They're going to try, but I'm not sure this latest incident has him scared enough to talk," she said.

Rhonda poured herself another beer.

"You might be right," she said, "but if he's smart, he'll turn state's evidence against Duval and get some protection from Jonathan's office."

Chris shook her head.

"That didn't seem to help C.J. very much," she said, "Nearly got her and Matt killed."

Rhonda folded her arms.

"Jonathan and his men tried as hard as they could to protect her."

"Some of Jonathan's men belonged to Andre," Chris countered.

"If Scott doesn't spill to the feds, then he's as good as dead anyway the next time Andre sends a man after him," Rhonda said, "and that's a perfect ending to his sorry life as far as I'm concerned."

* * *

C.J. and Matt had headed back to the village with Serena to pick up the last of the surveillance equipment to pack on the boat before they left for Sapphire Island. They knew it was risky after hearing from Serena that Andre's men might be in the area looking for them but they figured if they moved in and out quickly, they'd miss them even if they did hit the island during their sweep of the region.

Serena lifted some items out of the box and Matt put them in a backpack.

"Thanks Serena," he said, "You sure you don't want to come along on this little adventure?"

She smiled at him.

"No, I'll be more useful manning the radio," she said, "I'll be sending you plenty of information while you're in transit."

He zipped up his backpack.

"You sure," he said, "We had so much fun last time."

She laughed.

"Yeah we did," she said, "If you ever think about joining up with us full-timed, we'd love to have you."

"Thanks but as much as I love the Caribbean, all I want to do is get out of here and go on home," he said.

She embraced him .

"Good luck then," she said, "and be careful."

He nodded and she turned to embrace C.J.

"Take care of each other," she said, "It's going to take everything that you have to bring down a Duval especially this one."

Matt looked at her solumnly.

"We're going to give it everything," he said, "He won't be walking away this time. He'll be out of business for good."

* * *

He took C.J.'s hand and they left Serena's office. They walked down the street and stopped by a café.

"Why don't we get a quick bite to eat before we head back?"

She looked at him and then looked around her but there wasn't much to see as the streets were pretty quiet.

"Sure," she said, as they headed inside and sat down, ordering some food.

"So this is going to be it," C.J. said.

Matt nodded.

"Are you ready?"

She ran her hand through her hair.

"I've been ready for a long time," she said, "The day that Andre's finished can't come soon enough for me. He's been a part of my life for far too long."

"When we're finished with him, he won't be."

C.J. looked at him thoughtfully.

"I don't know about that," she said quietly, "Everytime I think about who I was, he's there."

"It won't be like that forever."

She searched his eyes.

"How do you know?"

He reached for her hand and held it in both of his own.

"Because I know what it's like to be haunted by someone who's hurt you," he said.

She nodded.

"You do, more than anyone should have to know," she said.

"But someone told me that you have to remember the good in life to exorcise the bad out of it," he said, "A very wise friend of mine."

She swallowed noisedly.

"I don't know why I said those things," she said, "I didn't even know at the time if they were true. I just wanted to help you feel better."

He rubbed her palm with his fingers.

"I know that," he said, "And true or not, that's exactly what it did. If it hadn't, I don't know where I'd be today."

She shrugged.

"You'd be like you are now anyway, successful and helping people," she said, "You never let anything stand in your way. That's something that comes from inside of you."

He chuckled and she knew he wasn't laughing at her.

"You're tougher than I am," he said, "I didn't know it then but I know it now. I can only hope that I'm half as good at making you feel better as you were for me."

Her eyes stung a little bit.

"Houston…"

"I mean it and when we get out of here and we go back home…"

Her favorite word.

"When we get back home," he continued, "I'll be there whenever you need me to be. Wherever that may be."

She shook her head.

"Maybe you shouldn't make any promises," she said, "We don't know what's going to happen to us when we leave here."

"It doesn't matter," he said, "You have my word."

C.J. looked at him and knew he meant it. Still, she felt fear inside her from someplace at what that would entail. She knew enough to know that even if Andre were out of her life, that her healing had just began. A tough road lay ahead for her and anyone who tried to support her in her struggle to regain her life. And a dangerous one as well if the other man hunting her down eluded capture and continued doing so wherever she went. She didn't want anyone to get hurt or killed simply for caring about her. Enough of that had happened already.

Part of her still wanted to pack up her things and leave before dawn's light for parts unknown but she knew she had to make sure that Matt and the others were safe before she left and that meant dealing with Andre.

Matt's eyes drifted around the room when he saw two men in black enter the café, which had filled up with a crowd of locals and tourists coming back from a day spent out fishing. Matt had noticed clouds coming in from the horizon and knew that another squall might be coming to the island. C.J. followed his line of vision. Her eyes widened and she started to rise out of her seat.

"C.J…"

She reached for her things.

"I know who they are," she said.

"I think I do too."

He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulders, as they tried to quietly leave without the men noticing them from where they sat at a table. A waiter came to the table and spoke with them. Suddenly, C.J. felt someone tap her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"It's me," a familiar voice said, "Don't turn around."

She nodded and Matt saw that Antonio had entered the café from the back entrance.

"Who are they," she asked.

Antonio looked them over.

"They work for Andre," he said, "On contract like I do. They're here to find you."

"We figured that," Matt said, "We've got to get out of here."

"I saw another man hanging out in the back," Antonio said, "No use going out that way."

"Why not," Matt asked, "Getting past one of them has to be better than two of them."

"It will be three of them if we go out that way," Antonio countered, "We'll have to be really quiet and move quickly."

They ducked lower and tried to move through the crowd near the bar. C.J. saw some fishermen she recognized as her poker buddies.

"I know these men," she said, "They'll help us get out of here."

She walked over to them and talked quietly with them and they nodded.

"Are they ready to go up against these men," Antonio asked, "They're trained killers."

C.J. nodded.

"We've run into our share of them already."

The fishermen got up and C.J. walked with them, with Matt and Antonio walking alongside, both men's hands placed on their firearms.

"We'd better be ready to act quickly," Antonio told Matt who nodded.

"I will be," he said as they neared the entrance.

They tried to bypass the two men but as luck had it, they looked up just as they neared the front. They saw C.J. and got up from their seats and headed towards her. She and the others walked faster until they were outside the café.

"Stop where you are," one of the men ordered.

C.J. and the others turned around to face them. People sitting at the outside tables turned their heads to focus on the commotion.

The two men drew their guns.

"We just want her," the second one said, "The rest of you are free to go."

Matt also drew his gun.

"You see that's where I have a problem because she's not going anywhere with you."

The first one nodded his head.

"You must be Mr. Houston," he said, "Congratulations for dodging our predecessors in Colorado and Texas but you won't be lucky today."

C.J. looked around wondering where Antonio had slipped away to but turned her focus back on the two men.

"Anyone who wants to help us apprehend this woman, there's a $5 million reward," the first man said.

The crowd watching didn't seem to be very impressed.

"I don't think you'll find anyone to help you," Matt said, aiming his gun, "Now walk away from here, now or I will shoot you."

"You won't do that," the first man said, "because the one of us you don't hit will kill the rest of you."

"I guess I'm just going to have to take that chance," Matt said.

"You're making a mistake Mr. Houston," the man said, "and it's going to cost you."

He prepared to aim his gun at Matt when C.J. held her hands up.

"Wait, I'll go with you if you promise not to shoot anyone," she said.

Matt's heart went into his throat.

"C.J…"

"No Houston," she said, "This is how it needs to be done."

The two men looked at her doubtful.

"She's already killed two of our men," one of them said doubtfully, "I don't trust her."

"I don't have a gun," she said, "I won't cause any trouble just don't shoot him."

The man gestured for her to come over and she started walking, trying to keep her body from shaking. One of the men reached to grab her and she swung her other hand and they felt before they saw the knife slice away at their arm. That man reached for his arm as blood pumped out of a severed artery and then fell on the ground. C.J. shoved the other one and then took off running. The other hit man just looked at the crowd and took off in pursuit. Matt took off after him, gun still in hand.

C.J. looked behind her once to see the other hit man on her heels and then kept her focus ahead as she ran down the street, careful not to knock down pedestrians. Her legs burned as she turned a corner and ran down a dirt road towards the harbor. There, she nearly collided with a second man who tried to grab her. She kicked at him and pushed him into a container of freshly caught fish before sprinting down the deck towards a small boathouse. She sighed, realizing that if she went inside it, she might be cornered by the hit man.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her and she nearly recoiled until she saw Antonio. He took her hand.

"Come with me," he said.

They headed towards a pathway between two small boathouses and ran inside one of them.

* * *

Matt had lost track of where C.J. and the hit man had gone but he continued running down a street looking down every side street and alley. Still, nothing and he realized he had to act quickly or he might lose her. He shook his head of that thought and kept moving.

He headed down to the docks and saw a hit man try to scramble out of a barrel of fish and after he had finally made it up, Matt ran up to him and punched him on the face, knocking him down. He reached down and grabbed the man by the collar and pulled him up on his feet. The man continued to struggle until Matt took his gun and pressed it against the side of his head.

"Have any last thoughts," Matt asked, "Any last prayers?"

The man shook his head defiantly.

"I have nothing to say to you."

Matt pressed the trigger a little harder. The man's eyes widened.

"I will kill you if you don't tell me where your friend has gone," he said, calmly.

"It doesn't matter," the man spit out, "Duval will kill us if we fail."

"Then it looks like you're going to die."

Matt pressed the trigger even harder without firing the weapon. After all, he had some practice at this. Something the hit man picked up on very quickly.

"All right," the hit man finally conceded, "I'll tell you what I know."

Matt didn't let him go but he removed the gun.

"Start talking."

The man couldn't start soon enough.

"Duval hired us to bring back this C.J. in time for his party," he said, "He's got men crawling all over these islands looking for her."

"But you came here," Matt said.

"Of course, I and my colleagues are the best at tracking…"

"Not as good at capturing and collecting," Matt continued, "Now tell me where she is."

"She ran down towards the boathouses," he said, "Fredrick…he was in pursuit."

Matt nodded.

"You are telling the truth because if you're not, I will track you down and kill you after I'm done with Fredrick."

The man nodded. Matt took one last look at him and threw him in the fish barrel, knocking him out cold. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some money to hand to the fishermen.

"Here, this should pay for all the fish you caught," he said, putting it in a woman's hands. She didn't look surprised or anything but Matt figured the people on this island had just about seen it all by now.

He took off towards the boathouse.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio had hidden underneath an overturned boat, listening and waiting for the footsteps they knew would be coming.

"Thank you Antonio," she said.

"Don't thank me yet," he said, curtly, "He's still out there."

"We were here to pick up the last of the surveillance equipment and ran into some of Andre's men."

"I was here meeting with a contact," Antonio said, "He mentioned that he had seen some suspicious characters by the docks earlier."

"There's at least three of them," C.J. said, "but I took care of two of them."

He smiled in the darkness.

"Nice way you handled the man on the docks," he said.

"If one of my poker buddies hadn't slipped me his knife..."

"You hit him where it counted with it," Antonio said.

"I've had practice," she said, "Andre's been sending hit men since he found out I was in Colorado."

"You eluded him for a few months here," Antonio said, "but it wasn't going to last forever."

"We'll be heading out here soon," she said, "So it might not matter."

Antonio peered out of the boat and still saw nothing.

"You might need to leave the island even sooner," he said, "because even if these men fail, Andre will send more if they report back that they saw you."

"I know he won't quit until he gets me back."

He tilted her chin up to look at him.

"That's not going to happen," he said, "We're going to get into his backyard and get him first."

She nodded, wanting to believe him when suddenly his body froze.

"What is it," she asked and then heard it too.

Footsteps, and they were getting louder which meant that the man was coming closer. They sensed that he knew they were hiding inside and that he wouldn't leave until he found them.

"We're going to have to take care of him," Antonio said.

He pulled out his gun and prepared to get out of the boat, while C.J. watched and waited.

* * *

Matt ran towards the boathouse and slowed to a walk as he approached it. He had seen a glimpse of one of the hit men before that man entered the boathouse and knew he didn't have much time if C.J. had hidden inside there. He approached its entrance, knowing he had to be ready for anything.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71--Here's the latest installment of this FF story. I hope you enjoy reading it (I know it's been going on forever!) and thanks for the feedback and for reading!

* * *

C.J. and Antonio watched as Frederick with his gun drawn began searching inside the boathouse. They had hoped he would just do a precursory look and then leave them but it quickly became apparent that he wouldn't leave until he found them. Fear filled C.J.'s body causing her muscles to tighten but she tried to relax knowing that she might have to spring into action again at any time. Antonio began to crawl so that he could get out from underneath the boat that hid them.

"Be careful," she whispered.

He looked back at her and nodded. She saw him spring to his feet quickly and silently like a panther stalking prey while Frederick had his back turned. He crept up on the burly hit man who had been trying to lift up a nearby boat to look beneath it. Suddenly, Frederick turned around and jumped when he saw Antonio, nearly bumping into him. The man looked shocked.

"What the hell are you doing here," he muttered, "Didn't you…"

Antonio's hand moved quicker than C.J. could track it with her eyes from beneath the boat. He wrapped his arm around the man's neck and while the man struggled, he used his other hand to grab his head to twist it. The man fought harder but had no chance.

_Snap_

C.J. nearly jumped herself when she heard the noise and then saw the man slide out of Antonio's grasp to hit the ground in a heap. Antonio stood over him, kicking him with one of his feet. Then C.J. heard another noise and watched Matt come running in the boat house.

"C.J," he yelled, trying to find her.

She climbed out from under the boat.

"I'm here," she said, as he embraced her and she closed her eyes against his chest.

* * *

The women looked up as Dan and Carlos walked over to them.

"What's up," Chris asked warily.

Dan sighed.

"The FBI just called the Houston PD and a buddy of mine called me," he said.

"What about?"

"The feds found out that from a prison snitch where Marquis Duval, Sr.'s hanging out that Scott Prescow's the target of a hit."

Rhonda just shrugged.

"That's not surprising," she said, "after all, I think Matt expected some type of response when he told us to leak his whereabouts."

Chris looked up at her fiancé.

"Who pulled it off?"

Dan shook his head.

"They're not really sure," he said, "They think it might be some guy who might have visited Duval in prison at one point but they're not sure. He's sure as hell not talking."

Chris frowned.

"He's on his death bed I thought."

Dan sighed.

"Everyone wished that he would die and there'd be one less sociopath to deal with but he keeps hanging on for some reason."

Rhonda snorted.

"It makes sense if he's got one son who's free as a bird and committing mayhem thus honoring the family name."

"It's not even his legitimate heir," Dan said.

"It probably doesn't matter much," Fran said, "Since his namesake is rotting away in another federal prison thousands of miles away."

"Well when Andre becomes the last of the Duvals to be locked up, there won't be much celebrating in the family," Dan said, "and the world will be a better place."

Chris shook her head.

"That day can't come too soon for me."

* * *

C.J. and Matt looked down at the dead man on the floor of the boathouse. Antonio had knelt beside him and searched his pockets.

"Did you find anything," Matt asked.

Antonio tossed down some items. C.J. walked over and stooped to pick up the photo.

"A photo of her," Antonio said, nodding his head towards C.J., "and a payment slip to a Swiss bank account. No doubt in the name of someone who's now deceased."

"So Andre gave him some money up front," Matt said, "with the rest to be paid out when the job was done."

Antonio nodded.

C.J. looked at Antonio curiously.

"He seemed to know you," she said, "Before you killed him, he said something to you."

Matt nodded.

"I heard him talking to, just as I entered the boathouse."

Antonio looked at the both of them.

"We met in passing," he said, "During a security junket in Asia a while back at another of Andre's compounds."

Matt seemed to digest that. The three of them prepared to leave the boathouse before Antonio stopped them.

"I'll clean up the mess here," he said, "and meet you later on. You might want to think about lying low until we leave this island."

C.J. nodded.

"You'll get no argument from me."

Matt put his arm around her and they left Antonio. Antonio gave the man another look then pulled out his cell phone.

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked back to their bungalow.

"Are you okay," he asked.

She nodded.

"I was really scared there for a while," she said, "I didn't want to go back."

He took her hand and held it.

"You handled it very well," he said, "But then you have a much record against Andre's hit men than they do against you."

She sighed.

"I want to keep it that way."

"C.J., I won't let them get you," he said, "No matter what."

She turned to look at his face and knew she hadn't been the only one to be scared this day.

"I know," she said, "You've taken such great care of me."

"C.J…"

She shook her head.

"No, you have," she said, "Even with all the danger, I've never felt as safe in my life as I have with you during the past several months."

"That's all I want," he said, kissing her hand that was wrapped around his own, "for you to be safe."

She paused for a moment and he looked at her, wondering what she was thinking.

"What is it," he asked.

She looked down at the ground for a moment, then back at him.

"When Antonio snapped that guy's neck, I didn't feel anything."

His brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly before continuing.

"I wasn't frightened. I wasn't upset by it. I wasn't even happy," she said, "I didn't really feel anything at all."

"It's adrenalin C.J., that's all," he said, "Your mind is so busy trying to keep you alive, the feelings get pushed to the side for a while."

She nodded at his explanation.

"Maybe that's true," she said, "but I've killed people and I don't have any experience at that…except with Christian Dean and I don't think that's the same thing."

"You've only killed in self-defense or when saving others from being killed," Matt said, "These guys kill because someone pays them."

"They're paid to take me back to him and kill anyone who gets in their way," she said, "It's a good thing Antonio was there."

Matt narrowed his eyes.

"How did he show up anyway?"

C.J. shrugged.

"He just did," she said, "I was being chased and he appeared and told me to come with him so I did."

Matt said nothing. She looked at him pointedly.

"What are you thinking," she said, "and don't tell me it's nothing."

He stopped walking and turned to face her.

"I don't know what to think," Matt said, "This guy, Antonio, who works for Andre Duval just shows up on this island out of nowhere and wants to help us? He's the one who brought you to Andre in the first place."

C.J. sighed. She knew that a huge part of Matt would never forgive the man for that.

"I have my suspicions too Houston," she said, "but I think as long as we remember he's looking out for his sister first, we can work together."

"We can't afford to be wrong about him," he said, "I don't want to lose you because I made a wrong decision about who to trust."

She nodded.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, "This isn't safe for you either. Or for Novelli, Brady and the others."

"They all want to help," he said, "We just need to all take care of each other."

C.J. nodded but inside she wondered if that would be enough.

* * *

Jonathan got off the phone and looked at Roy, who had dropped by a few minutes ago.

"I'm receiving an update from the agent I assigned to the FBI dragnet in the Caribbean," he said.

"Have they found my nephew yet," Roy just asked.

"We both know the answer to that," Jonathan said, "and if you have a clearer idea where Matt is hiding out with my witness, I'm not sure I want to know."

Roy just looked innocent in his suit wearing his customary red carnation.

"I'm as much in the dark as you are," he said, "My nephew's probably been too busy to call."

Jonathan sighed, catching the tone in Roy's voice.

"I know that he's being treated like a criminal when he's done nothing wrong."

Roy shook his head.

"He's done everything right to protect his best friend from being dragged back to Andre Duval," he said, "and the people who are supposed to be helping him or at least enforcing the laws are treating him like he kidnapped her."

"For what it's worth, I think the FBI is being ridiculous which is why I sent my guy down to keep an eye on them," Jonathan said.

"Your beliefs and theories are only worth as much as your willingness to act on them," Roy said, "and so far, that's your biggest weakness."

"Maybe," Jonathan conceded, "But we need both of them if we're going to have any chance at busting the real criminals."

"Matlock won't let you find C.J. if he doesn't want you to," Roy said, "So you'd be better off trying to bring in people like Duval and Scott Prescow."

Jonathan sighed.

"We or the FBI have questioned Prescow multiple times but he won't budge," he said, "Even his near demise in your parking garage hasn't swayed him to turn himself in and provide state's evidence."

"He did something to upset Duval if he wound up with a bomb under his car," Roy pointed out.

Jonathan nodded.

"He might have tried to get Duval to pay for the disclosure of information that he had or Duval thinks that he's trying to double cross him in some way."

"Probably," Roy said, "but if Duval tried to kill him once, he's going to try again. Something Scott should keep in mind."

* * *

Scott dodged traffic while trying to cross the busy street. He had hoped to be able to pack some clothes but when he arrived at the condo complex where he lived, he saw a dark car with tinted windows parked across the street. No doubt someone waiting to finish him off, he concluded. He remained across the street watching the car for a while but it didn't move. Finally, he decided he couldn't risk getting spotted and walked back down the street. Since his cherished Corvette had been turned to charcoal, he had to rely on taxis and even public buses to navigate around Houston while he figured out what to do.

Damn Andre for trying to kill him when he had been perfectly willing to give him more information about C.J. for a price. Unless…Andre had figured out he had gone to his competition but he hadn't even been able to figure out the identity of that person. He sat down on a bus bench with his head in his hands trying to figure it out. How his carefully thought out plan had been derailed, leaving him running for his life.

Life just wasn't fair.

* * *

Antonio paced around the boathouse waiting for Frederick's friend to show up looking for him. He had one more loose end to tie up at the docks before he could get a bite to eat. The next several days were sure to be arduous so he needed all the nourishment he could get. Finally, Erich walked in the room and his eyes widened when he saw Frederick lying dead on the ground and Antonio standing right next to the body.

"Who killed him," Erich asked.

"C.J. and her friend did and they got away," Antonio said.

"We'll have to call the boss then," Erich said, "Not that he's going to be happy about it. I just got off the phone with our federal contact and he says they're closing in on the two of them."

"They'll never catch up," Antonio said, "They've been searching for them for months. Even getting them on that _America's Most Wanted_ show."

Erich started to leave and then saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

"What the…"

Antonio pulled out his gun and shot him.

* * *

Novelli greeted Matt and C.J. when they arrived back and they joined in where Novelli and the others had been sitting around the fire on the beach.

"What happened to you two," Novelli asked after tossing them both cold beers.

Matt looked at C.J.

"We ran into some of Andre's hit men," he said simply.

"Obviously you got away," Novelli noted.

"Antonio killed one of them," C.J. said, "I'm not sure what happened to the others."

"Do you think they're on their way here?"

Matt sighed, sipping his beer.

"I don't know," he said, "Since we're leaving tomorrow morning, we'll probably be okay for tonight. They're going to need reinforcements."

"We've got the boat packed up," Novelli said, "Two more guys just got back from a mission and they're coming with us."

"We'll need everyone we can get," Matt said, "It was a pretty close call today."

Novelli tossed another stick in the fire.

"This plan of ours is going to have to work," he said, "each step of it's going to have to fall into place."

"We've done all we can on this end Vince," Matt said, "And tomorrow, we're going to begin the next phase of our plan to bring down Duval."

* * *

Andre sat in his office working. He had received another call from the Jaguar and had hoped that he would receive good news to report to him. But a report had just been texted in that the hit men who had been dispatched to an island about 100 miles away had seen their quarry but had failed to successfully retrieve it.

He had pounded his fist on the table when learning of their failure and he found himself having to put off Jaguar again. Jaguar wouldn't commit to coming to his gala that he was throwing but said that he would send representatives if he couldn't come himself. He added that he expected to be able to pick up his merchandise and his representatives would return with it to his home base in Eastern Europe.

Andre didn't know what he would do if the night of his gala came and he didn't have C.J. back. He thought about sending more hit men out to where they had found C.J. but decided that it was more likely that C.J. and that private investigator Matt Houston would flee the island to hide somewhere else.

One of his security team leaders entered the room. He looked up at him.

"Yes, what is it?"

The man looked at him.

"We got a report back on those hit men," he said, "C.J. and her companion killed one of them and the other two are unaccounted for."

"So who called it in?"

"Your security expert, Antonio," the man said, "I guess he just happened to be there at the right time to see it go down."

Andre wasn't too sure about that. Antonio seemed to be at a lot of places at inopportune times. No, he thought, Antonio had been loyal to him for a while now and he had no reason to distrust him. He had auditioned Antonio like he did all his security employees through a week's worth of arduous testing including exercises that if he hadn't succeeded, would have killed him. He even tested his martial arts and fighting skills of the man against his own and he had barely managed to avoid killing him which put Antonio above some men he had sparred with during similar tests. Antonio had risen through the ranks but that was because he learned quickly, worked hard and said little except to give Andre advice on a matter even when he hadn't asked him.

"He did say it was going to take more money to find a more skillful team to bring your woman back," the man said.

Andre frowned.

"I'll think about it," he said, "but they're probably not going to be on the island much longer if they haven't left already."

"He said he lost track of them after they killed the man."

"If he can find out where they're heading, tell him to call me," Andre said, "Otherwise it can wait until we meet tomorrow."

* * *

C.J. opened the door to the bungalow and she and Matt walked inside.

"You're up for a drink," he said.

She shook her head.

"That beer was great but I'm feeling tired."

"It's been a long day," Matt said, "I'm not surprised you feel it."

She looked up at him.

"It's not just that," she said, "I guess I'm nervous about tomorrow."

He walked over to her and pulled her in his arms. She nestled in his arms and the warmth of his body.

"I needed that," she whispered into his chest.

"Me too."

He stroked her hair and he felt her heart beat speed up.

"Thank you for helping me remember what it feels like to be held by someone who cares about me and doesn't want to hurt me," she said.

He looked into her face.

"You're the most important person in my life," he said, softly, "There are so many things I want to say. I've wanted to say for so long."

She looked at him puzzled.

"Like what," she asked.

He looked into her face, his emotions battling for control of his own. She reached up with her scarred hands and stroked his hair.

"There's something I want to say too," she said, "I love you."

He gazed at her stunned and left her not sure how to read him so she did something that she hadn't planned.

She pulled him closer and she kissed him.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72---The latest chapter of this FF story is up. I hope you like it, thanks for reading and for the comments. I also posted an excerpt for a new cross-FF story.

* * *

The decision to kiss him had come out of nowhere but once she started down that path, she couldn't stop. She grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him closer, feeling the warmth of his body against her own and drawing in his familiar scent.

Her lips felt soft and yielding against his own and he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. He stroked her soft hair with his hands and she pressed even closer to him, caressing his back with her fingers.

She closed her eyes to the bliss of her feelings and then she saw someone else, and suddenly she was back to the place she had fled. He was straddled on top of her, pressing her against the cold floor while she pushed at his chest with her hands to get him off of her. He grabbed her hands as if it were nothing and held them in his own above her head while he tore at her clothes. She opened her eyes and he was still there.

Matt felt her tighten suddenly in his arms and when he looked into her face, he saw the terror in her eyes. She pushed him away from her and turned away from him, pacing.

"C.J…"

She turned towards him and put her hand up.

"Don't…"

He didn't move any closer but ran his hand through his hair trying to figure out what to do, what to say to bring her back. Her breath came quickly, her hands tightly clenched at her sides as she backed away from him, bumping against the couch.

"I didn't mean…"

"I know," she said trying to center herself, "It's not your problem."

"C.J., if I did something to scare you, then yes, it is my problem."

She sunk on the couch and put her head in her hands.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she said, "I kissed you first. You just responded."

"You told me that you loved me," he said, carefully sitting beside her, "and I know that didn't come easy for you."

"Just forget about it," she said.

"After a kiss like that, I don't think so," Matt said, "Did I bring back bad memories?"

"You could say that," she said, "It didn't start that way. I loved being close to you but then I saw him and it all came back."

He closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, "if I reminded you of what happened. I didn't mean to do that."

She sighed, and then reached out to take his hand in her own. He looked at her, seeing fear turn to resignation in her eyes although she tried really hard to smile.

"Don't be sorry," she said, "I never would have kissed you in the first place if I didn't feel safe enough to do it. It's just hard to forget what he did to me sometimes."

"You've been trying really hard," he said, stroking her palm with his fingers.

"That feels good," she said, resting against the sofa, "You have a gentle touch."

He smiled.

"I think some women would call it being smooth."

She touched his face with her fingers.

"You're all that," she said, "but you've been the best friend anyone could ever have and you being here with me has meant more to me than you'll ever know."

He kept rubbing her palm, knowing that the repetitive action relaxed her and drained the fear from her body.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," he said.

She sighed.

"I don't want to be afraid of him my whole life," she said, "I don't want him to stop me from being close to the people I care about especially you."

"C.J., it's going to take time and you're going to need people to help you through this," Matt said, "but you will get through it."

She looked down.

"I know," she said, "I just don't want to see him all the time when I close my eyes. I don't want to feel his hands on me, or smell his cologne. I don't want to remember what he did and what he took away."

"We're going to get him," he said, "We're leaving tomorrow."

She nodded.

"Yeah," she said, "I can't wait until we do see him again and take care of him but it scares me at the same time."

"We're going to do everything we have to keep you safe," he said, "That's going to be my first priority."

He felt her tense again next to her.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," she said, "If anything did…"

He saw the troubled emotions on her face and he moved closer. This time she didn't move away when he stroked her hair, but she leaned against him, her back resting against his chest.

"Nothing's going to happen," he promised, "except we're going to do what we set out to do and go home."

* * *

She smiled when she heard that word, even though fear tinged that emotion. How could he be so confident when she felt such uncertainty and fear? But then Matt had always been like that since the day she had met him. After she had punched out the bully who harassed her on the school yard during her first day there, she had been led off by grownups to the principal's office while they contacted her uncle. Before she left the yard, she had glanced back and saw him, a lanky boy with dark brown hair and a serious expression on his young face. He had seemed in awe of what she'd done and she hadn't known why.

Not until much later when they were much better friends. Julia her other close friend from childhood had teased her endlessly claiming that boys and girls could never be best friends. And she hadn't been the only one. It had seemed that very few people understood the depth of their friendship and how firmly its roots had been set that afternoon they had first met at Matt's fishing hole while she served out her suspension.

"Has he made a move on you yet," Julia had asked when both of them were standing in front of the mirror experimenting with makeup to match their experimental hair styles so they would be the most beautiful and stylishly dressed girls at the Junior High spring dance.

C.J. had just looked at her, puzzled. Why would Matt be interested in her that way? He could have his pick of any girl in junior high and he hadn't picked his favorite one yet.

"I'm with Brick," she had said, "He's really cool and his bike…"

Julia had rolled her eyes, never having taken to Brick.

"You'd better be careful with him. He's an older guy," she warned her friend, "I've read on the bathroom walls what he expects from his girlfriends."

C.J. had just laughed. Sure Brick didn't kiss like the other boys she had taken behind the library. When his lips moved against hers, it took her breath away. The last time, she had tensed against the wall when he slipped his hand beneath her sweater to palm the lacy bra that covered her breast and he had removed it, mumbling something about her needing to be more mature. Her cheeks had reddened but she had accepted his next offer of a date.

"I can take care of myself," she had said to Julia, as they prepared to leave.

As it turned out, she never made it to the dance after her uncle discovered she had chosen Brick as her date. How he found out about it remained a mystery to her but he had duly grounded her and she had just as duly snuck out, climbing down the trellis next to her bedroom window to meet where he had parked his motorcycle down the dirt road. Climbing behind him on his bike and wrapping her arms around his warm body, they had taken off, leaving the ranch and her uncle's unreasonably strict rules behind. Of course Julia had been right and he had wanted more than she had been prepared to give and after a brief argument, she had wound up walking home taking off her heels and walking in her stockings when her feet began to blister.

A car had driven by and had stopped and she looked inside and saw Matt dressed up in a tuxedo with his girlfriend at the time. He had just gotten his license and he had become hell on wheels. Her face reddened when she saw him and she had never felt so embarrassed in her life yet glad to see him at the same time.

"C.J., what are you doing walking by yourself this time of night," he asked.

She looked at him and saw his face lined with concern so she decided to just tell him.

"Brick and I…we won't be seeing each other anymore," she said, "We broke up."

She saw him sigh and thought for a split second that she saw a wave of relief across his face. He got out of his car and approached her.

"Come on," he said, "I'll give you a ride home after I drop off Staci."

"Why don't you just drop me off at the end of the road and then you and Staci can finish your date," she said.

"We're returning from the dance and Staci's mom said she had to be in before midnight," he said, "She doesn't want to get grounded."

C.J. sighed.

"I'm already grounded," she said, "In fact, I'm not even supposed to be out tonight."

He put his arm around her and she shivered. The night had turned chilly so he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Come on, we'd better get going," he said, "or your uncle will send out a search party."

They had dropped off Staci and the look she gave Matt told C.J. that the date hadn't gone well. A pang of guilt hit her as Matt drove her towards the road which led to both of their ranches. They reached the entrance and then Matt stopped the car. They sat together in companionable silence for a while before she would go in and face her uncle.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your date," she said, "Staci looked a bit upset."

He sighed, pulling at his bow tie. She knew how much he hated them. Wearing fancy suits left him feeling all trussed up like a turkey and he couldn't wait to get out of them. Like her, he felt more comfortable in worn jeans and a softly laundered shirt and sitting on the back of a horse. A fortunate thing for both of them considering how much time they spent horseback working on their respective ranches.

"You didn't interrupt anything," he said, "We were both ready to go home."

"So was I," she said softly while plucking at her dress with her fingers, "I was so wrong about him."

He looked at her sideways.

"You mean Brick?"

She nodded.

"I thought he really cared about me," she said, "But he just wanted sex. I'm not ready for all that. I just wanted him to like me."

Matt's face studied her.

"Did he…hurt you?"

She looked at him, startled and then shook her head.

"We just argued and he told me to get lost," she said, "So I was walking home."

Anger lit Matt's face.

"I can go kick his ass if you want," he offered, "He had no right to treat you that way."

She smiled.

"He's not worth it," she said, "He certainly wasn't worth getting grounded over."

He stroked the hair off of her face and she leaned against him, comforted by his presence.

"Why don't we go fishing tomorrow," he said, "Take off after chores."

She thought about it and nodded.

"I'd love that," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you Houston."

* * *

She was relieved that Matt had backed off when she told him not to bother going after Brick who had three inches on him and about 30 pounds. She didn't want her best friend to get hurt. When she entered her house, her uncle awaited. She expected more punishment, but he actually seemed more relieved that she had come home safely for a change.

Sometimes, looking at Matt she wondered why she didn't make a move on him or he didn't with her. She expected it was because they were such great friends and didn't want to mess a good thing up. Even though they had gone to different high schools, they met up in college and spent four years playing and studying with their other close friends, Julia and Scott who had followed Matt from the military academy both had attended to college. She had made the honor roll in her pre-law course of study and had joined a sorority. He had taken his football prowess to the university level and had wound up winning the Heisman trophy in his senior year. Even as their lives took them on divergent paths, they still spent time together, usually at a diner on campus where C.J. worked several nights a week waitressing tables. Even with a scholarship, she had to come up with additional income to pay her living expenses.

During most of the college years, Scott and Julia had been together and C.J. looked at them as a happy couple with some degree of envy. Between classes, studying and work, she didn't have much time for a relationship. She casually dated different students including a journalism student named Robert Tyler who had made her laugh with the escapades he got himself into due to his risk-taking behavior and a business school student named Carl who had quietly tried to woo her but wasn't in love with either of them. Matt on the other hand had several different girlfriends including a couple members of the cheering squad.

"So Matt are you heading out to the bonfire after the game tonight," Scott asked.

C.J. sat with her pile of books and looked up at her friend.

"If we win the game," he said, "If we lose, we'll have double practice the next day."

"What about you C.J.," Scott asked.

She sighed and Julia folded her arms from where she sat.

"The guy she was dating doesn't want to show his face after the game," Julia said, "On account of the shiner someone sitting here gave him."

C.J. just looked through one of her books and Matt set his jaw.

"Not that he didn't deserve it," Julia added, "Serves him right for that wager he made with the rest of the football team about C.J. If it had been me…"

"Do we have to talk about it," C.J. said, "He was wasting his time anyway. I had a feeling about what he had been up to all along."

And that was partially the truth. She had known about the wager but not until the day before their date but had chosen to go out with him because she wanted to confront him herself. Matt had meant well when he had decked the guy but that denied her the opportunity she needed to deal with him herself.

"So are you going," Julia pressed.

C.J. shook her head.

"I have to close that night," she said.

* * *

The bonfire had been a bust. Julia and Scott had argued on the way home and broke up for the zillionth time and Matt's team had lost after he had been sacked and gotten a concussion. When C.J. heard about it, she had rushed to the hospital where doctors were checking him out for more serious injury. She knew the poking and prodding drove him crazy.

She ran into the examination room before any of the medical staff could stop her. She propped himself up on the table in one of those silly hospital gowns and looked dismayed when he saw the concern on her face.

"I came as soon as I heard," she said.

"C.J…"

She stopped and looked at him, then reached out with her fingers to touch a cut on his face. Matt had closed his eyes when she had done so. C.J. had the gentlest touch and the way of infusing life into whatever she touched. At least Matt had always thought so.

"So are you going to live?"

He grimaced.

"When they let me out of her," he grumbled, "They want me to stay overnight."

She sat on the table beside him, dressed in her pirate's waitress outfit. They made quite a pair to anyone walking by.

"It's just a precaution," she said, "so you don't go into a coma or something like that. you have a concussion."

"I feel fine. Everyone gets a concussion," he protested, "I just need to throw the pass about two seconds sooner."

"That might help next time," she said, "I'm sorry about the game."

He shrugged.

"They'll have to throw the Cotton Bowl without us this year," he said, "but there's always next year."

"You didn't miss much," she said, "except Scott and Julia broke up again."

"What else is new," he said, "Sometimes I wonder why they're still together."

She looked at him a moment, surprised by his observation.

"Yeah, me too."

"So are you going to go home and hit the books again?"

She shook her head.

"I'll come by a little later and stay with you," she said, "I know you hate hospitals."

He didn't say anything just smiled. She reached over and kissed him on the mouth, just brushing her lips against his own. Her scent made him more than a little bit heady. When she finished, he stroked her hair.

"What was that for?"

She shrugged, with a smile.

"For being the best friend in the world," she said, "I'll see you in a few."

She winked at him before she left the room. And about an hour later when the hospital had grown quieter, she had returned to his hospital room. He had lain there in the uncomfortable bed trying to sleep and she had sat in the chair beside him, reaching for his hand.

"Just close your eyes and go to sleep," she had said, "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Years later, they laid together on the couch inside a bungalow on a tropical island, hundreds of miles and a whole world away from where and when they had grown up. She nuzzled in his arms which were wrapped around her and settled her head against his sturdy chest, listening to his heart beat lure her off to sleep. He stroked her hair and kissed her brow as her lips formed a smile as her slumber took her to someplace nice.

"Just close your eyes and go to sleep," he said, "I'm not going anywhere."

And he fell asleep with her, knowing that they would wake up to a day which would decide the rest of their lives.


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73--Here's the latest chapter of this FF. Thanks for reading and for the feedback and for being patient since this one's pretty long.

* * *

The boat sliced through the ocean like butter under Novelli's capable hands as both Matt and C.J. stood on the bow, looking ahead of them. The sun shone down on them and flocks of birds flew ahead of the boat until they had left their island behind in their wake. The crew had gotten up at the crack of dawn, had stowed some final provisions on the boat and then had left as the rising sun painted the horizon pale shades of orange and pink. They watched the island grow smaller behind them, not knowing if they would ever return. After all, they were going off to take down a very dangerous man.

They would arrive at Sapphire Island and proceed to their safe location to prepare for their operation against Andre's compound. Antonio would meet them there and provide them with the final security plans. He had contacted them just before the boat had left the harbor to give them instructions on how to reach the hideout. Antonio had told them that the island wasn't heavily fortified like the compound would be but some of Andre's men might be hanging around the village looking for trouble makers who might crash the party.

Matt looked at C.J. and saw Brady come over and talk to her. Both of them had slept soundly and had woken up bright and early, ready to get started. Neither of them had discussed what happened the previous night, so focused were they on the difficult task ahead. Matt left his station and walked up to Novelli who looked happy to be at the captain's wheel.

"So you've got the right coordinates," Matt said.

Novelli nodded.

"I've set us on due course to the island," he said, "You seem to forget I've been out on the ocean most of my life in one way or another and I know my way around."

"I'm not worried Novelli," Matt said, "Remember we did find Duval Sr.'s island the first time."

Novelli scratched his jaw.

"I remember that," he said, "I'll never forget the look on his son's face when he found out that we double crossed him and he was going back to prison."

Matt paused.

"If it hadn't been for you, they'd have killed me and tossed me right out at 35,000 feet," he said, "I don't even want to think of what would have happened to C.J."

Novelli slapped Matt on the shoulder.

"We're going to get this Duval too," he said, "We'll send him to prison like we did his father and his brother or we'll kill him. Either way he's finished."

Matt heard the steely tone in his friend's voice. His friend who used to be a former cop but had learned that sometimes enforcing the laws wasn't enough to stop the truly evil men out there. Matt had to agree with him there.

"It's going to take everything we have to bring him down," Matt said, "And everything's going to have to go according to plan."

Novelli sighed.

"You know that rarely ever happens, so we're going to have a contingency plan just in case," he said.

Matt nodded.

"We'll have to finalize that at the hideout when we get there."

Bertha walked up to them.

"I got some food in the galley," she said, "If you'd like to get something to eat."

Novelli looked up.

"That sounds great," he said, "Save some for me."

"I'll bring you back some," Matt said, as he followed Bertha into the cramped galley below deck.

Zeke and a couple other guys sat at a small table eating stew and they looked up at Matt.

"Beautiful day isn't it," Zeke said, "We should be at Sapphire Island in just a few hours."

"Then the fun really begins," Matt said, sitting down at the table with his food.

Zeke shrugged.

"We had a great time on that last mission," he said.

And Matt had to agree. He had fit into the team of mercenaries and they had worked very well together. He knew that would have made Too-Mean very happy.

"This one will go just as well Matt," Zeke continued, "and there's nothing better than bringing a truly evil man like Andre Duval down."

"Yesterday got pretty intense," Matt said, "We don't know that Duval's men aren't tailing us right now."

"One's dead and the other two probably need reinforcements before doing anything," Zeke reasoned, "That may give us a breather."

Matt wasn't so sure.

"Maybe," he said, "But we'd better keep our eyes open just in case. I don't want any more surprises than the ones we're expecting."

* * *

Jonathan waited on the phone for Brad to answer. He had sent one of his best agents down to the Caribbean to keep tabs and report back on the FBI's dragnet that had been dispatched to search for Matt who was currently higher on their Most Wanted list than Andre Duval. He shook his head at the irony of the logic behind that decision.

"Hi boss," Brad said, "Checking up on me?"

"Just trying to find out if you've found out anything," Jonathan said, "How's the dragnet going?"

"The FBI's searched some islands," Brad said, "We're heading off to some islands a hundred or so miles away. We got some Intel there might be some kind of action on one of them."

"What kind of action?"

"We're not sure," Brad said, "A lot of boats and small planes have been heading towards one of the larger islands. There's a small village there so maybe they're having some kind of public festival or some event."

"They're going to have to check it out," Jonathan said, "Maybe it's something Duval or some other criminal is putting on. They love to use these uncharted islands to hide out on from law enforcement. After all, that's what Duval, sr. did for years."

"We're already heading in that direction," Brad said, "We hit another island and we think that Matt Houston and C.J. Parsons may have been on it recently but they're not there now."

"They shouldn't even be the focus of the search," Jonathan said, "Unless it's to ensure their safety."

Brad paused.

"The FBI's thinking differently," he said, "They're treating him like a kidnapper."

Jonathan sighed.

"Maybe I should fly on down there," he said.

Silence greeted him.

"Brad, are you still there," he asked.

"Yeah…sure boss," Brad said, "I was just thinking."

"I'm going to try to get the Marshal's office to approve my travel itinerary ," Jonathan said, "I think this dragnet is going in the wrong direction. It's time they went after the bad guy instead of the man who saved our witness' life."

Brad remained silent for a moment.

"Sure boss," he said, finally, "I'll be waiting for you to arrive and then I'll brief you."

Jonathan hung up the phone and looked around his office, knowing that the decision had been made as soon as Brad had told him that the FBI still remained intent on dragging Matt in as a fugitive if they found him. He had always had a contentious relationship with him, especially when he had been in a relationship with C.J. but he knew that Matt had always put the woman they both cared deeply about ahead of himself. He had risked his own freedom, not to mention his life to keep her out of Andre Duval's clutches and for all that, the federal agencies who were supposed to be keeping C.J. safe until she could testify against Duval and his men in court some day had failed miserably and almost cost C.J. her life.

He sighed, wondering how he would explain this to Chad to get him to sign off on his decision to go down to the Caribbean where the action was beginning to unfold in a big way. Then he reached into his drawer where he kept his resignation letter and picked it up, gazing at it thoughtful as he had done a dozen or so times already. Would it come down to leaving the agency? Jonathan knew he had reached the point where he had to see this through even if it meant going on his own.

Sally stuck her head in his office.

"What is it," he asked, putting the letter down.

"Chad wants to talk to you."

Jonathan put the letter back in the drawer, closed it and left the office.

* * *

Scott left the black car with the tinted windows still parked near where he lived. He didn't know if the FBI were tailing him but figured that they probably were or whether that car belonged to hired assassins sent out by Andre to finish the job they didn't get done when they reduced his car to charred metal at the parking garage of Houston Enterprises.

He ran across the street to a bus stop, just as a bus arrived and he climbed aboard and scrambled into one of the few empty seats. Some of the bus riders threw him odd looks but he ignored them and looked out the window at the strange car as the bus pulled away from the stop and continued down the street.

Scott knew his options were limited if Andre's men tracked him down and killed him. Obviously trying to play Andre off this mysterious trafficker who also was trying to find C.J. hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped and with the feds breathing down his neck, for the first time, he was at a loss of what to do next. He didn't know how to stay out of prison and he wasn't even sure he knew how to stay alive.

He rested his head on the seat rest in front of him as the bus headed towards the direction of his office. Suddenly, he heard something ring and discovered it was his cell phone. He looked at the Caller ID and "unknown" popped up. Should he answer it, he thought or just let it ring? After all, it could be the FBI tricking him and if it were anyone else, the FBI could be monitoring his phone line. Indecisiveness seized him for a moment before he decided to answer it.

"Hello," he said tentatively.

"Is this Scott Prescow," a voice said.

Suspicion filled him but he answered.

"This is him," he said, "Who's this?"

"That is not your concern," the voice said, "I see you narrowly escaped the explosion in the garage."

Scott's eyes widened.

"Was that…"

"No, but I do know who it is," the voice said, "and you will not live to see tonight's sunset if you don't leave the city."

Now Scott really felt helpless.

"How do you know this," he asked, "Where would I go?"

"Go to Houston International Airport and to the building where flights are chartered," the voice said, "There will be a ticket for you to go on an airplane to an island in the Caribbean. There's going to be a party there and you're invited."

"What…party," he said, "Who's this?"

"That's not for you to know," the voice said, "If I were you Mr. Prescow, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Just do what I tell you and you will live."

The phone clicked and Scott knew his mystery caller had hung up. He looked at his own phone stunned. Was this really someone trying to help him, or lure him into a fatal trap?

He put his phone away and decided to think about it for a while. No need to respond hastily until he figured out what was going on.

* * *

Matt helped Bertha with the dishes.

"You're good at this," she said, "I would think that you've done this before?"

He shrugged.

"I did some KP duty when I was traveling the world before I met you and your bunch," he said, "I washed lots of dishes."

She laughed.

"There are worse things to do," she said, then frowned, "C.J. didn't come down and eat anything."

Matt handed her a plate.

"I think she's too nervous about going to Sapphire Island and what lies ahead."

Bertha sighed.

"It's going to be very hard for her Matt," she said, "It's like willingly walking back into a nightmare."

"It's going to be dangerous for her," he said, "That's what scares me."

She looked at him and knew that it did scare him even if not much else did.

"It's going to be more dangerous if she doesn't go," Bertha said, "She needs to face what's happened to her and the man who did it or she'll never be free."

Matt nodded.

"I know," he said, "but I don't want to lose her. I feel like I'm just getting her back."

"She's fighting really hard to come back," Bertha said, "but this is an important part of that."

Matt dipped another plate in the soapy water.

"So much could go wrong," he said, "We can't plan for everything."

She saw the turmoil on this face and smiled.

"That might actually help our efforts by making us more flexible," she said, "Things hardly ever go the way we think they will and we might have to change our strategy on a dime."

He nodded.

"And then there's the issue of Antonio," he said.

She raised her brows.

"You don't trust him," she said, "at least not completely."

"How much do we really know about him," Matt said, "We know he'll put his sister first and that can help us or hurt us."

Bertha wiped a plate.

"C.J. really wants to help his sister too," she said, then looked at him directly, "You can't forgive Antonio for what he did to C.J. months ago."

He ran his hand through his hair, knowing she had hit her mark.

"No I can't," he said, "He was an accomplice to all the horrible things that happened to her when he brought her to Andre knowing very well what was in store. Things she may never recover from and watching her try so hard..."

Bertha read the pain in his eyes, knowing that there was more than one victim here though Matt would never accept that role.

"I think he's finding his own actions tough to live with," Bertha noted, "Not that I'm defending him but I've seen the price of them in his eyes."

"I don't feel sorry for him," Matt said, "Not since C.J.'s paying the price. She's afraid to let anyone get close to her and that's not like her. She's very hard on herself over it too."

"That will pass Matt," Bertha said, "C.J.'s a very strong woman with a stronger sense of self. She knows who she is and who she wants to be. It's going to be the most difficult thing that she's ever gone through but she'll come through the other side of it."

Matt thought about it and nodded. He went to get some leftover food and scoop it on a couple of plates.

"I think I'll go take this out to C.J. and Novelli," he said, "so they can taste what they almost missed."

Bertha smiled at him as he left the galley to go back on deck.

* * *

C.J. had walked over to where Novelli stood and looked straight out into the open sea. They had made good time traveling in great weather and would reach Sapphire Island soon enough. She shivered as she remembered who lived there.

"You cold," Novelli said.

She looked up at him.

"No I'm fine," she said, "It's a beautiful day isn't it?"

He nodded.

"Picture perfect for being out in the ocean," he said.

She continued looking outward. He watched her knowing what was on her mind and the fear that she had inside her that she would never show anyone. Matt walked towards them with some food that smelled great.

"What did you bring us pal," Novelli said, "Did you really save some of Bertha's great stew for us?"

Matt handed them the plates and they both ate enthusiastically.

"You both need to eat and keep up your strength," he said, "It's going to be quite a physical test getting into Andre's compound."

"That's what all the training was about," C.J. said and looked at him, "I'm ready to go."

He looked at the light in her eyes and knew she spoke the truth.

"Ready to play being a nun again?"

She rolled her eyes.

"If I had known years ago that I'd be wearing a nun's habit, I think I would have fainted," she said.

"You're a very good looking nun," Matt said, "if one can say such a thing."

She reached up to stroke his face.

"It depends on who's saying it," she said.

Novelli looked up at both of them while eating his stew.

"The three of us together again," he said, "Who'd have thought?"

Matt scratched his chin.

"Yeah Vince, who would have thought?"

C.J. tilted her head.

"I'm so glad you're here with us," she said, "It made me feel better to see you get off that plane."

Novelli smiled.

"Especially with some of Mama's cooking in hand," he said.

C.J. chuckled.

"That too."

Matt watched two of his closest friends, really they were like family to him, banter with each other while fully knowing the dangerous path they were about to embark on and he felt his throat tighten. He didn't want to lose either one of them even though he knew that once they set foot on Sapphire Island, they would be in Andre's home court and playing by his rules. He started to worry again about what surely awaited them then stopped himself. All that would come later. For now, he would enjoy a few precious moments with the people he cared about so he joined in with their laughter as the boat continued on towards the island.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74---Here's the latest chapter of the long-running FF story. I hope you like it, thanks for your patience and the comments!

* * *

Jonathan sat in Chad's office as his supervisor paced the room.

"I didn't think you were going to like it," Jonathan said.

Chad finally sat down at his desk which like Jonathan's was overloaded with files and paperwork.

"It's too dangerous," Chad said, "Besides the FBI's taking care of everything on that end."

"All they care about is bringing Houston in for kidnapping," he said, "Not about the actual crime lords who are hiding out there."

"So you say," Chad said, with a sigh, "Besides, I thought you sent down an agent already."

Jonathan nodded.

"Brad's down there with the dragnet but he said there's some intelligence coming in about some increased activity, boat traffic and the like at one of the islands under surveillance."

Chad pressed his hands together.

"And you think it might have something to do with Andre Duval and his so-called trafficking business."

"We're not sure," Jonathan hedged, "We need some more information but we have to be ready to act in case something goes down."

Chad waved his hand.

"I'm sure the FBI, ICE and other agencies can handle it," he said, "This might be a jurisdictional issue."

Jonathan shook his head.

"I disagree with that," he said, "Our protected witness will probably be in the area and may need our assistance."

Chad sighed.

"Like she's shown that she's needed or wanted it so far?"

"She only refused to cooperate after her life was threatened several times in a 48 hour period," Jonathan said, "If I were in her shoes, I don't think I'd act any differently."

"Well, our agency's been vetted from top to bottom so there shouldn't be any reason to distrust us now," Chad said.

"It would be better if you set down someone she knew," Jonathan said, "to facilitate rebuilding that trust."

Chad looked at him strangely.

"You had a personal relationship with Ms Parsons," he said, "I don't know why someone didn't call a conflict of interest on you earlier."

Jonathan felt frustration fill him.

"She turned to me when she was in trouble," he said, "I was the only person she would trust."

"Well she's gone now," Chad said, "You think she might be somewhere in the Caribbean where all this activity is taking place?"

Jonathan paused and then he nodded.

"She knows and certainly Houston does that her only chance of living her life again is to neutralize Duval," he said, "That's why they might be there to see if there's any opportunity to do that."

Chad's eyes widened a bit.

"They should just turn themselves in before they do anything rash," he said, "If you can give me that, I'll think about sending you.

Jonathan didn't like the terms but he needed Chad's signature on his order forms.

"Okay I'll do that," he said.

Several minutes later, he walked back to his office, the signed paperwork in his hands. As he turned the corner of the hallway, he bumped into a woman knocking all his paperwork on the floor. He looked up and saw Rhonda stooping down to pick it up.

* * *

C.J. looked around her before stepping off the boat. They had landed it at the far end of the harbor so it wouldn't be easily seen but Novelli and the other men had done their work well. To anyone passing by, it would appear to be just an average fishing boat. She felt the stifling heat from wearing the heavy nun's habit but she knew she needed a good disguise. Still, the humidity which permeated the air made her feel a bit dizzy.

"Where are we going," she asked.

"To a small café," Matt said, as the group of them left the boat.

She looked him over.

"You make a very nice priest," she said, "You sure you don't want to switch vocations?"

"Some of the job requirements are just a little bit steep," Matt answered.

She nodded.

"I see," she said, "Aren't we going to stand out dressed like men and women of the cloth?"

Matt looked around at the dozens of people walking around the dusty little town.

"There's a couple convents on the island and an old church," he said, "Anyone will probably assume that's where we're going."

They continued walking to the café taking in the scenery around them.

"There's certainly a lot more traffic here than last time," Brady said.

"They must be coming in for the Duval extravaganza," Novelli noted.

After they entered the small café, they looked around for a table and found one in the corner.

"I guess we're supposed to go in and order," Matt said.

A waitress came up to them to take their orders without looking twice. They sat and waited as various people passed right by them, carrying on conversation as they walked.

"I heard that this gala was going to be even better than the last one," a woman said to a man as they passed by.

"He's certainly got himself a nice estate here on the island," the man said, "The importing business must be doing very well."

"They think he runs a legitimate business," Brady said, "Why don't they know better?"

Matt sighed.

"Because as far as they're concerned, that's what he does," he said, "What better way to cover up illegal enterprises than laundering them through legitimate business companies?"

"And charitable foundations," C.J. added, "Who would guess that a human trafficker would contribute funds to charities that help women escape that kind of life?"

"Our friend Chris back in Houston sent us information about Duval's charity holdings," Matt said, "The way they're set up no one would even look at them twice."

"His illegal business is heavily fortified and guarded," C.J. said, "Even if they wanted to inspect his facilities, they wouldn't know where the real ones from the shell games."

Novelli shook his head.

"It makes it really tough for the law enforcement agencies to find them, let alone bust them," he said.

* * *

Antonio sat with his sister Elena in the courtyard. She appeared more nervous this time than on previous visits and kept looking around to make sure they were both really alone.

"What's the matter," Antonio kept asking.

She would look at him, her eyes narrowed and then shake her head.

"I'm just nervous about the party," she said, "The guests are arriving, everything's been arranged according to plan but I don't know what's going to happen."

He stroked her hair.

"It's going to be all right Elena," he said, "I've got the team set up here on the island. We're just waiting to put everything into motion according to my plan."

Her eyes looked uncertain.

"It seems so dangerous," she said, "What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong," he assured her, "Just trust me Elena."

She folded her arms.

"Why do we have to do this at all," she said, "Why don't you just ask him to let me go? He's never hurt me or laid a hand to me."

"That's not how it works Elena," he said, "We've already lost one sister. She died trying to escape."

He saw tears threaten in her eyes.

"I wish I could have known her," she said, "I barely know you."

He rubbed her shoulder, before pulling her into an embrace.

"We'll have plenty of time to spend together after we get you away from Andre," he said.

But Elena still felt fear competing with her overwhelming joy at the thought of being reunited with her brother. She just didn't want him to see it in her eyes.

* * *

Scott couldn't return to his home after receiving the mysterious phone call, so he headed back to his office at Houston Enterprises. He didn't feel like rushing off to the airport on some errand was the wisest choice to make until he did some further reflection of his situation. Sitting in his chair didn't provide him with any great insights as he tried to figure out who would have contacted him. Was it someone who was friendly and trying to help him out of a seriously bad jam or was it an adversary working for Duval out to kill him? After all, if he had gotten into his car instead of the unfortunate errand runner, they would have placed his charred remains in the back of the coroner's wagon. He heard someone knocking on his door.

"Who is it," he asked, hoping it wasn't a hit man who had eluded security.

"It's me, Murray," the current acting president of Houston Enterprises said, "Thank goodness that I just ran into you. I have a ton of work for you to catch up on here. It's been on my desk since yesterday but since I was at the conference, I didn't see it until this morning and imagine my…"

"I know Murray, I was surprised too when my new pride and joy blew up in the parking garage," Scott said.

Murray looked confused.

"Oh that," he said, "I was talking about the more recent correspondence from the IRS on their audit of the charitable foundation because of those questionable contributions. They want some more of our financial records going even further back."

Scott rolled his eyes. Nice of that federal agency to drop this on him while his life was literally in danger of being blown to smithereens.

"I sent them every file we had," he said, wearily.

"They weren't satisfied," Murray said, "They're looking at doing a full-blown audit of Houston Enterprises."

"Why?"

Murray sighed.

"It looks like it goes back to some work that C.J. did for them before she disappeared," he said, "The Department of Homeland Security flagged a couple of donations so they might be freezing the accounts for the foundation."

Scott shook his head. He couldn't deal with the behavior of several overzealous federal agencies when his life was hanging on the balance.

"Terrorists investing in this company," Scott said, "That's hogwash. It sounds like they're on a fishing expedition."

Murray snorted.

"Obviously," he said, "But what are we going to do about it without Houston here?"

Scott looked at his watch.

"I'm sure Houston's uncle has enough federal connections from his day as an operative to keep the feds off our backs," he said.

"I don't think anyone has enough feds to keep them off of their backs in these kinds of situations," Murray grumbled.

Scott felt his composure fading.

"Don't worry about it Murray," he said trying to cover it with a smile, "I'm sure it's going to all work out and if you'll let me handle these files here, you can rest assured that this problem will be handled."

Murray looked at him uncertainly.

"I don't know…"

Scott smiled at him.

"Just trust me…"

* * *

Jonathan knelt down to help Rhonda pick up his papers and she smiled at him.

"I thought I'd run into you here," she said, "You weren't in your office."

"I had a meeting with Chad," he said.

She raised a brow.

"Oh, was it something good," she said, "Oh forget I asked."

They stood up and she shuffled the papers to hand to him.

"I needed him to sign off on something," he said, "it all worked out."

Her eye caught some of the writing on the form and he saw her frown suddenly.

"Hand that over," he said, reaching out his hand.

She gave him the papers and he thanked her. They headed back to his office.

"Are you leaving town," she asked after some silence.

He looked at her suddenly.

"We might have a lead on something going down in the Caribbean," he said.

Her interest piqued as he knew it would.

"Oh you mean something with Matt and C.J.," she said, "or do you mean Andre Duval?"

He paused.

"Both," he said, "I'm flying down there to meet up with my agent and the FBI dragnet."

She sighed as they entered his office.

"Are you going to tell them they're after the wrong man?"

"That's one of the things on my list," he said, "Don't be so surprised. You should know by now I always had C.J.'s welfare at the top of the list."

"What about Matt's?"

Jonathan smiled.

"A man who can take care of himself and most everyone else," he said.

She hesitated.

"What about you," she said, "Are you going to be careful?"

He looked at her surprised at the tone in her voice which sounded an awful lot like concern.

"I'm always careful when I go into a situation," he said, "but my job is dangerous and I knew that going in."

She nodded.

"Are you going to bring them back?"

"That's what I hope to do," Jonathan said, "but we have to get the other agencies on the same page before we can do anything."

She impulsively hugged him, much to the surprise of both of them.

"Be careful," she said, against his ear, "Because if you don't come back, who am I going to do lunch with?"

He chuckled.

"I can't let anything happen until I've tried out every restaurant in Houston," he said, "and we still have a long ways to go."

* * *

Antonio reluctantly left his sister in the courtyard and walked towards the café where he was going to meet the others. He had finalized the plans and had to get them to the safe place where they could spend more time debriefing. His phone buzzed and he picked it up.

"I'm on my way there right now," he said, "Keep in close contact and I'll give you a call when I need you and your men."

"My men will be waiting for the signal to act," the man said, "Is anyone suspicious of your intentions?"

"No," Antonio said, "As far as they know, it's going to proceed forward as planned. I'll talk to you later."

Antonio clicked off his phone and continued on to the rendezvous point.

* * *

C.J., Matt and the others ate their meal inside the café as they saw Antonio enter and walk towards them. His eyes looked intense as usual but he smiled at their group.

"Aren't you worried about people seeing you here," C.J. asked.

"I commonly speak with the religious community here on the island," Antonio said, "So no one should look twice."

"So where are you going to take us," Matt said.

"To a place very well suited to your choice of costume," Antonio said, "Come with me."

They got up and started following him outside the restaurant.

* * *

Rhonda met up with Chris and Fran at the coffee shop. They all ordered lattes and sat at their favorite table.

"So when did Jonathan say he was leaving," Chris asked.

Rhonda shrugged.

"He wasn't specific," she said, "He did mention trying to catch a flight out tonight."

Fran's eyes widened.

"That was quick," she said, "He must think there's something really going on down there."

Rhonda looked at her hands.

"I do too," she said, "I just hope he doesn't get hurt or worse."

Chris looked at Fran.

"So you really like this guy," Fran said, "I mean that'd be fine. He's a bit of a bureaucrat but to each her own."

Rhonda harrumphed.

"He's not that bad really," she said, "He's very nice and fun to be with…when he's not being such a bureaucrat."

Chris looked at Rhonda.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," she said, "He's got tons of training and experience in dealing with dangerous situations. He knows how to take care of himself."

Rhonda sighed.

"I know that," she said, "I just wish there was something we could do to help."

Chris narrowed her eyes.

"What were you thinking of," she said then her eyes widened, "Oh no, tell me you're not thinking…"

Rhonda shook her head quickly.

"No I'm not," she said, "Not really…but still there's got to be something we can do."

Chris shrugged.

"We've tried everything already and nothing's worked."

Fran nodded in agreement. But Rhonda found herself not able to join in.

"We can keep an eye on Scott for him," she said, "We know he's dirty and he worked for Duval and he's running around scot free."

"Not really Rhonda," Chris said, "In case you haven't noticed, he's been taking the bus lately."

"Because he had his fancy car blown up," Fran finished.

"I know that," Rhonda said, impatiently, "but you know what I mean. He's living the high life instead of sitting in prison where he belongs."

Fran and Chris couldn't argue against that.

"He's been hanging around the office a lot lately," Chris said, "So at least we don't have to go far."

"Yeah, let's keep an eye on the creep," Fran said, sipping her latte.

* * *

Scott remained in his office. After all, it's not like he had anywhere safe to go. His car had been blown up, his place was under surveillance and he wasn't about to trust the instructions of some nameless person to jump on a plane and head off to the Caribbean into Duval territory. At least he got Murray off of his back for a while but he knew that Chris and Roy still harbored suspicion. He had to be very careful and watch his step and his back at the same time.

He would spend the night in his office and after a good night's sleep, perhaps he would wake up in the morning with a plan. One that he could live with and that wouldn't get him killed. Yes, he smiled weakly, that would be what he would do.

* * *

The nuns had opened the convent door and had invited them inside. They had been led to their rooms, tiny cells really with just the basics speaking to the spartan lives led by the nuns of this small order. After leaving their things there, they walked back into the main entry room.

"They pay money to the Duval foundation each year just to be left alone," Antonio explained, "but otherwise they don't have much to do with him."

"Sounds like a smart plan to me," C.J. said.

Then they all walked into the room where ordinarily meals were served and began to finalize their plans.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75---Here's the latest chapter of this incredibly long fanfiction. thanks for your patience and for reading and comments!

* * *

C.J. and Matt walked out of the room after their strategy session. Antonio had provided more details that had to be worked into their game plan which always seemed to be in flux. It had been frustrating to always have to flesh out the logistics of their mission further but it appeared that Andre wasn't leaving anything to chance and was adding new security details every day. C.J. knew he did that to maintain the highest level of security for himself and his employees because the competition in his line of work always proved to be cutthroat and the federal agencies were always breathing down their necks searching for any sign of weakness in business men who were successful on the surface and clearly hiding something underneath.

Apparently they hadn't found any with Duval so far and she didn't think they would as long as they couldn't get past his reputation as a top international importer who had connections with the consulate. Either that or they just didn't want to know the truth that even a man who donated millions to fund the organizations that helped better the lives of women could himself be capable of exploiting and murdering them.

"That was a lot of information," Brady grumbled as he walked out behind them.

"That's how it usually works with these top of the line scumbags," Matt said, "They have more money to protect so they shield themselves accordingly."

Antonio turned towards them.

"Duval never finalizes his security detail until the last minute," he said, "He's got enough enemies trying to get him to understand that he always needs to be several steps ahead."

"And I imagine he has incentives for his employees to protect him," Matt said, "Loyalty above honor."

Antonio nodded.

"He operates on a strict reward and punishment system."

C.J. already knew that, having watched Andre shoot one of his most trusted guards in the head in front of her for having betrayed him. She wondered how many guards were treated likewise once Andre learned of her escape.

"The party's in two days," Matt said, "so there could still be some changes."

Antonio grimaced.

"Most likely, I'll receive a list of more at tomorrow's briefing," he said, "I'll bring them back."

"See you then," C.J. said as he left them.

* * *

Jonathan tried to make himself more comfortable in his cramped seat on the plane during the long flight to the Caribbean. He had flown out of Houston International Airport and would pick up a charter flight to Sapphire Island. Chad had expressed his misgivings but Jonathan assured him that he would bring back their witness safe and sound. He felt a little bit guilty making a promise to his supervisor he probably couldn't deliver on but each time he felt the pang, he reminded himself that the ends justified the means in this case. Before the plane took off, he had notified Brad that he was enroute to the island to rendezvous with the dragnet. Brad had told him that there was nothing new to report on his end and that they were monitoring the increased traffic on the island and its possible connection to Duval's party at his estate.

The flight attendant was handing out pillows and he took one, placing it under his head as he tried to get some sleep.

* * *

Scott tried to sleep but his mind kept returning to the sound of the explosion and the sight of his car in flames in the parking garage and the phone call he had received to rush off to some island in the Caribbean. The more he thought about it, the more he had convinced himself that it must be a trap but he also knew he was running out of options especially if the hit men tried to kill him again. He rested his head on the desk again thinking back to the years of his life where things were a little less complicated.

The three of them sat around a table in the middle of the square at the university, eating lunch beneath a beautiful sunny sky, the kind that graced Texas this time of year.

"So what did Julia tell you," Scott asked C.J.

She just shrugged, not looking at him. Julia had kept her up to the wee hours of the morning telling her in minute detail about their latest fight after the bonfire. To C.J., all their fights sounded the same, almost down to the length of time that Scott and Julia spent separated and the intensity which they reunited, each swearing it would never happen again.

"Do you care," she countered, tired of him badgering her.

"I wasn't involved in what happened at the bonfire," Scott said, "I don't do that kind of thing."

Matt narrowed his eyes.

"What kind of thing," he asked.

C.J. looked at Matt biting her lip. He had gotten out of the hospital none the worse for wear after getting a concussion while playing in the Homecoming game. He had thrown himself into his studies with renewed vigor that impressed and surprised her. His relationship with the latest cheerleader to strike his fancy hadn't lasted his hospital stay but she knew he would bounce back from that too.

Scott smiled easily.

"Nothing to worry about," Scott said.

"I heard it was drugs," Matt said, his voice serious.

Scott looked at him incredulously

"Where did you hear that," he said, "or did you hit your head harder than the doctors thought?"

Matt didn't look away or laugh. C.J. looked between the two of them, not used to seeing them this way.

Scott laughed, a bit taken aback from his friend's demeanor.

"Hey Matt, this is me, Scott you're looking at like I've done something worse than robbing the cookie jar," he said, "I don't know what people have been telling you…"

Matt sighed.

"People haven't been telling me anything," he said.

C.J. ran her hand through her hair but didn't say anything. She had her own suspicions about Scott, niggling doubts that never left her but she never brought them up. Matt and Scott had been tight enough during their years in the military academy. She had become his friend because he had been Matt's friend.

"Then what's the problem," he said, "It's not something that Julia said."

C.J. raised her brows.

"What did you say to her Scott," she said, "She was very upset last night."

"Oh that was because the cops busted some people at the bonfire the other night," Scott said, casually.

Matt nodded.

"The drug bust but word is, they don't know who supplied them."

Scott laughed.

"Matt, are you playing detective again," he said, "Really there's nothing to this. I had nothing to do with that."

Matt frowned and C.J. knew it was because he wondered why Scott was protesting when he hadn't even been suspected at least not yet. But Julia had told her while they both sat on the balcony of their apartment drinking tea in the chilly night her own suspicions that Scott had at least known who had been selling the drugs at the event.

"He's just concerned," she said defending him, "He's not accusing you of anything."

"Why are you taking his side," Scott said, shaking his head.

"There are no sides," C.J. said, "I just know how upset you made Julia and yet at the same time, she was worried about you."

Matt had been watching C.J. when she had told this to Scott and he had remembered that years later while he sat with her in the garden inside the four walls of the convent which hid and sheltered them for the night. They had walked out here after the strategic meeting unable to sleep and sat together on a wooden bench. He had found his thoughts going back throughout the years trying to figure out where the seeds of this nightmare had been planted and he suddenly realized all the missed opportunities to have stopped it. And one of them had been his friendship with Scott.

The man who he had befriended in the military academy and had gone to university with along with C.J. and Julia, as part of the four musketeers as they often called themselves. The man who had worked alongside him in his company both in its beginning years and more recently after he had built himself a successful career internationally as a business accountant and attorney. One of his close friends for years who had handed over his best friend to a ruthless human trafficker when he hadn't been looking.

"You knew about him long before I even guessed," Matt said, quietly as both of them listened to the crickets chirping from just beyond the throngs of tropical flowers.

C.J. looked up at him puzzled for a moment, and then understanding dawned in her eyes.

"You mean Scott?"

He nodded.

"I never even guessed what kind of person he really was back when we were all together in college," Matt said, "but you really did suspect even back then."

She looked at him thoughtfully, and then ran her hand through her hair.

"I had my suspicions but mostly from what Julia told me," C.J. said, "She knew he was doing bad things even some that might be illegal but despite everything he put her through, she did love him."

"Why didn't she ever report him?"

"I think you're underestimating the impact that love can have on your judgment," C.J. pointed out, "Even after I began to wonder about Robert's involvement in the kidnappings, even after you warned me, I still had trouble believing it."

"But you changed your mind," Matt said.

"Only when I realized that he tried to get you killed because you had uncovered too much," she said, "I asked him about it and he denied it of course but by then I knew he had lied because I know you."

"But you left him," he said.

"Yeah, I did," she said, "But at first I was embarrassed to tell you about it and I still had strong feelings about him for a while afterward. When you love someone, that just doesn't go away overnight even when you really want it to."

"I didn't want to believe that Scott was a criminal," he said, "and that he would hurt you like he did."

She sighed.

"He had to cover his tracks with your company," she said, "I got in the way and he also owed Andre and when Andre collects, people don't say no to him."

He looked directly at her.

"We're going to get him," he said, "and then I'm going to take care of Scott."

She put her hand on his arm.

"Let the police handle him Houston," she said, "I don't want anything to happen to you. He's not worth it."

"He handed you over to that animal."

She looked back at the garden, trying to collect herself.

"You're much more important for me to have in my life than anything to do with Scott," she said, reaching for his hand which he took in his own.

"I don't know," he said, "I have the feeling you're going to run even if Andre's taken care of forever."

She looked up into his eyes startled. He had just said what he had been concerned about for a while, the fear that he would wake up one morning and she would be gone.

"Even with him gone, it might not be over," she said, "There's someone else out there who could hurt you to get to me."

He cupped her chin in his hand.

"Just let me worry about that okay," he said, "If you're out there by yourself, you'll be vulnerable and if he finds you, how will you protect yourself?"

She found herself unable to look at him.

"I can deal with that much better than I can, with you being hurt or killed."

"That's not going to happen," he said, "Whatever happens, you need to know that we're in this together for however long it takes."

She looked at him, listening to his words and what lay behind them. He knew what he was getting himself into if he stayed with her. She didn't know what to say so she just nodded but his words stayed with her.

* * *

Rhonda and Chris sat in the conference room, after having checked Scott's office. Chris poured them both more coffee.

"Is he asleep," Chris asked.

"Out like a light," Rhonda said, sipping her coffee.

"Why are we even here in the office this late of night watching him sleep?"

Rhonda rolled her eyes at Chris.

"Because we want to know what he's up to," she said, "I don't trust him."

Chris drummed her fingers on the table.

"None of us do," she said, "but I could be home with my fiancé instead of hanging around here with you."

Rhonda snorted.

"Gee thanks," she said, "But now that Jonathan took off for the Caribbean to join the dragnet looking for Matt and C.J., we've got to do our part here."

"But what can we do," Chris said, "Scott's not been doing much since his prize corvette got blown up to bits."

"I think he's getting ready to make a move, maybe get out of Dodge," Rhonda said, "Maybe he's waiting for instructions."

"You mean from Andre Duval?"

"Who else?"

* * *

He worked in his office late into the night after getting off the phone with the men he had hired to hunt the islands for his missing property. He picked up her picture that he had taken of her when she first arrived at the compound in Washington. The men had drugged her after abducting her from the parking garage at her office building before she could even reach her car so she had been dizzy when she had been photographed. But the spark of the life she had just been snatched away from had still remained in her eyes until he had finished with her later that night and left her lying in a fetal position on the floor with her eyes closed. If anything still remained of who she had been, she had kept it well hidden from him. Perhaps if he had seen it… But then she probably had waited until he left on one of his business trips to make her escape. If she had known what was in store for her, she might not have waited until he had left.

The phone rang.

"I hope you have good news."

"Yes I do," the caller said, "Your quarry has reached the island with a group of mercenaries from a nearby island."

"Good," Andre said, "Are you ready to make your move?"

The caller hesitated.

"We're waiting for the best time," he said, "She's surrounded by armed men at all times including her friend Matt Houston."

"Ah, so he still thinks he can protect her," Andre said, "His luck is about to change."

"It won't be easy to grab her when she's with the others and he's going to be the most difficult one to deal with because he's never away from her."

"Then you'll have to kill him if he tries to stop you," Andre said, "It will save us the trouble of having to kill him anyway. When I get her back she must know that he's dead and there's no hope for her to return to her own life then she'll be easier to control."

"Do you still plan to go through with your deal with the Jaguar?"

Andre sighed.

"I don't have a choice," he said, "As much as I enjoyed having her in my possession, he is still intent on getting her. I made it as expensive for him as I could."

"Is he coming to your gala?"

"I don't know," Andre said, "If not, he'll send representatives to pick her up."

"And the other woman?"

"She'll remain here under my care," Andre said, "That was part of the arrangement too."

"We'll make our move soon and we'll get in contact with you when we're successful," the caller said.

"Very well," he said, "I'll be expecting your call well before the party."

"You have nothing to worry about," he said, "The men you hired were the best."

With that, Antonio clicked his phone off and leaned back in his chair to look out into the starry night.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76 ---the latest chapter of this FF. I hope you like it and thanks for reading and the comments!

* * *

The morning began innocently enough with C.J., Matt and the others getting up early and eating a simple continental breakfast with the nuns, who sat silently by themselves at a nearby table. They didn't talk much, each of them sticking to their own thoughts. C.J. felt nervous from the moment she had woken up but she had pushed it aside, telling herself that she had been waiting for this day for so long. She got dressed and met Matt in the hallway. His hair was mussed from sleep but he smiled when he saw her.

They met the others in the breakfast room and they appeared to not so much restless as on their toes, being experienced mercenaries busy with the final preparations of a mission. Matt felt the same adrenalin rush building but his emotions gnawed at him. He didn't, couldn't allow anything to go wrong given how high the stakes were that they succeed. Brady came over to the table and joined the rest of them.

"I got a call from Antonio," Brady said, "He's ready to set the plan in motion on his end."

Matt ate his bread.

"Any further instructions?"

Brady nodded.

"He wants you to go meet with some middleman who has a package to give you at the café in the village," Brady said.

"What kind of package," Matt asked.

Brady shrugged.

"He didn't say," he said, "He wants C.J. to meet him and pick up some finalized blueprints of Duval's security setup."

That caught Matt's attention and he felt unsettled.

"Alone," Matt asked, "I don't think it's safe to let her go anywhere on this island by herself."

C.J. looked at Matt.

"Novelli can come with me," she said, "I'll be okay."

Matt didn't seem too sure but he knew with only a few hours to go before they had to launch their operation, there were still many logistics to work out. They couldn't afford to leave anything to chance, not with the final hours ticking away until they launched their operation.

"Okay, but watch your back and watch hers in case any of Duval's men are wandering around," he cautioned.

Novelli nodded.

"Sure thing," he said, "You be careful with this contact person. We don't even know who it is or who he really works for."

"We don't even know that about Antonio," Matt said.

"Do you think he's for real?"

"No I don't know that for sure about him let alone any of his friends," Matt said, "I don't like this. It's hard enough working with Antonio but now we're bringing in another one of Duval's men?"

"How many traitors does he have in his organization," Novelli asked.

C.J. looked at both of them.

"Not many who are still living," she said, quietly.

Matt looked at her and saw what lay in her eyes. For a brief second, he saw what she had while she had been held captive. C.J. knew all too well what the trafficker was capable of doing to his enemies better than the rest of them.

"I'll be fine," he promised her, "and we'll be back here in about an hour."

"Don't let anything get more dangerous than it has to be," C.J. said.

"I won't," he said, "I'll meet with the guy, get what we need and come right back. You do the same and we'll go from there."

She nodded.

"And tonight we'll know whether or not our plan is going to work," Matt said soberly.

"We've got to be ready to move forward," Novelli said, "All this waiting is going to be worse than a stakeout but we can't afford to make a false move."

"No we can't," Matt said, "and we're not going to."

The three of them prepared to leave the convent to go on their separate errands. Then Matt had an idea.

* * *

Jonathan's plane landed in the Bahamas and he hired a plane to take him to Sapphire Island. As he sat to wait, he looked through his files that he had dug up on Andre which wasn't much. He had also requested anything they had on the rest of the Duval family. That stack of files had been checked on board the airplane. He had called Brad who assured him that the dragnet team had set up a headquarters at a bungalow they had discreetly leased through a businessman who often did similar for the intelligence agencies whenever they came snooping around the small island chain.

He looked at his watch and sighed. Although it was barely an hour past dawn, the heat of the upcoming day began to permeate the air and the daily traffic of the airport began to fill the terminals. As soon as he arrived on Sapphire Island, he would be briefed by Denton and Brad about the progress the team had made so far. Of course, he knew that most of the information would be related to the ongoing search by the FBI for its fugitive, Matt but hopefully he could begin a dialogue about Duval and what the feds planned to do about him. They knew from their intelligence on the island that he was preparing to hold one of his galas at his compound with dignitaries flying in to attend after receiving the final instructions on their invitations. Many of those attending probably had no idea how Andre had actually built his burgeoning empire and if they did, they would be horrified. However, Jonathan wasn't naïve and knew that some of the guests lived in that same world and might be there to conduct business with him. He pulled out his phone and called Chad to give him an update. He knew that he had to get down to Sapphire Island as soon as possible. The quicker the better.

* * *

Scott woke up at first not remembering where he had passed out until he saw the familiar surroundings of his office at Houston Enterprises. His mouth felt dry and his eyes like someone had rubbed them in sand. Brief visions of being tortured at the hands of Andre flickered in his mind before fading and being replaced by a ringing sound that sounded like it as in his ears at first. His vision cleared and he saw his cell phone lying next to him. He picked it up and clicked to connect to his caller.

"Hello," he said warily.

The voice which responded sounded familiar.

"I see that you have disregarded my instructions to do exactly what I told you," the voice said, "You must have a death wish."

A chill filled Scott but he tried to sound blasé.

"Listen, I have no idea who you are," he said, "Why should I obey instructions from someone who might be trying to kill me or set me up? Someone just tried to kill me in a parking garage."

"Obviously that person failed because you're talking to me," the caller said, "You are a very foolish man Mr. Prescow. I have extended you a lifeline and you disregard it."

"I'm still alive so I must be doing something right."

"I wouldn't get too attached to your life because you've only been given a temporary stay of execution unless you listen to me and obey my instructions."

Scott laughed nervously, pulling at his collar.

"Does this mean you'll be giving me another chance?"

The man paused.

"Perhaps if you promise to do exactly as I tell you," he said, "Otherwise I can't guarantee your survival."

"Okay, I…promise," Scott said, "I'm supposed to go to Houston International Airport to a particular hangar."

"Yes, just walk inside the small building and there will be someone waiting there to give you further instructions," the man said, "Just tell him you are RVSPing for the party and he'll know what to do."

Scott hesitated, having so many questions filling his mind but his instincts telling him to do as the man told him.

"How will this help save my life?"

"You'll see."

The phone clicked off.

* * *

Rhonda looked at Chris as they stood in one of the hallways at Houston Enterprises.

"I think he's going to be leaving soon," she said, "He's off his phone."

Chris yawned.

"It's about time," she said, "Do you really think we should follow him?"

Rhonda nodded.

"If I were in his shoes, I would probably try to leave the city," she said, "but given that his wheels got blown up, he might have to rent another set or take a bus…"

"Or a plane," Chris guessed.

"We won't know unless we follow him," Rhonda said, "It's early now, sun's barely up so he's probably going to need to head off quickly."

They heard an office door close.

"That's him," Rhonda said, as they ducked inside an empty conference room off the hallway as he left. A few seconds later, they came back out and started following him.

* * *

C.J. and Novelli walked off to their meeting. The sun shone on them as it rose over the horizon and people began to fill the street of the village around them as they kept walking.

"I don't know if I like this plan," Novelli grumbled.

"We've got to trust Houston," she said, "He knows what he's doing and if he's right…"

"Then he'll be by himself," he said, as they approached the café, "We should have sent someone else with him."

C.J. looked at Novelli.

"Then it wouldn't have worked," she said, as they entered the doors and sat down at a nearby table, "and besides our suspicions could be wrong."

"Matt didn't seem to think so," Novelli said, "He's never trusted the guy."

C.J. shook her head.

"No he's never forgiven him and there's a difference," she said, "But Antonio didn't have any choice with what he did. He didn't want to blow his cover and endanger his sister."

"So how do we know he won't do anything reckless in the hopes of getting her out of there?"

"He needs us to do that," C.J. said, "Why jeopardize that?"

Novelli looked at his watch, after they both ordered some coffee.

"So what do we do," he said, "Wait for this guy?"

"That's exactly what we'll do," she said.

* * *

Matt reached the dock and looked around but it was deserted. Several boats bobbed gently on the water from where they were tethered to the moorings.

"What are you doing here?"

Matt looked behind him and saw Antonio approach him, wearing black clothes and sunglasses. He folded his arms knowing that he wasn't what the man had expected.

"There was a change in itinerary," Matt explained, "C.J. and Novelli are off to see your contact and I'm meeting you here."

Antonio furrowed his brow.

"Why," he said, "You know what your instructions were."

"You see I figured you were going to say that," Matt said, "but the meeting with your contact is set in a public place so the way I see it if I send C.J. there with backup of course, she'll be safer there…"

Antonio nodded grimly. His shades made it impossible for Matt to read the expression in his eyes.

"Than she would with me," Antonio finished, "so she and Novelli are at the café."

Matt looked at his watch.

"For the moment," he said, "But I also figured that this contact of yours wasn't going to show so in a few moments they will be leaving and going to an undisclosed location."

Anotonio's mouth remained fixed.

"You'd be wrong," he said.

Matt stared at him for a moment.

"Now I figure you have reinforcements around here somewhere so they might as well come out now and show their faces," he said.

"Reinforcements Mr. Houston," Antonio said, "Why would I need them?"

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Because the errand you were going to send me on was a diversion," he said, "Your plan was to keep me occupied at the other end of the village and then have C.J. come and meet you all by herself by the docks."

Matt thought Antonio would get angry but instead he smiled.

"You're very imaginative Mr. Houston," Antonio said, "but you're also wrong."

* * *

C.J. looked up from where she and Novelli had been waiting for Antonio's contact to see several men enter the café. The hairs prickled on the back of her neck. Novelli saw her expression change and he turned to look and saw the men.

"They don't look like they're coming here for the food," he noted.

"No they don't."

She stood up from the table.

"We'd better get out of here," she said, "out the back."

Novelli nodded and they moved quickly. The men noticed them and started following them.

"This was a trap," Novelli asked.

"Appears to be," C.J. said, "I'm not going to stay here long enough to ask them."

They entered into a short alley and quickened their pace as did the men behind them. Novelli grabbed her arm and they both started running.

Matt looked back at Antonio, his gaze steely.

"I don't think I'm mistaken," he said, "I think this was your plan all along."

"Why would you think that?"

Matt paused, his mind quickly working to come up with a plan.

"Maybe you think this plan that we all put together isn't going to succeed so you're hedging your bets."

"Why would I do that," Antonio asked.

"Because you think if you give Andre what he wants which is C.J. then he'll give you back your sister."

At first, silence met Matt's words and he thought Antonio wouldn't answer but he did.

"I don't need to make any deal with Andre to do that," Antonio said, "Besides he'd kill me first if he felt I had betrayed him."

Matt sighed.

"Not if you had been working for him all along."

* * *

C.J. and Novelli ran down the street and then turned the corner to run towards the docks. The men kept in pursuit. They sprinted ahead and headed into a crowd of fishermen which allowed them to put some distance between them and the two men. They turned around the corner and into a small vacant building. C.J. brushed the cobwebs off of her face in the darkness as they both walked to a small cracked window. Looking outside, they saw the two men turn the corner then look around. She nearly stopped breathing as they neared the building.

She and Novelli waited for them to come inside.

Rhonda and Chris drove down the streets of Houston following the cab that they had seen Scott jump into before it drove off. The cab had turned down several streets and now traveled down a major thoroughfare with the two women in hot pursuit.

"Where's the extra gear on this thing," Rhonda said, then pushed a lever, "Oh…I think I found it."

"Dan picked out this car for my birthday," Chris said, "Be careful with it."

"It'll be fine in my hands," Rhonda said, "It moves like a dream. He _must_ really love you."

Chris scowled.

"Rhonda, after this is all over with," she said, "We need to get you a life."

Her friend laughed as she looked ahead.

"Okay they're turning around when they reach that intersection," Rhonda said, "I think they're heading to the airport."

"I think you're right," Chris said, "Scott is getting ready to fly the coop."

They followed the cab until it reached the outskirts of the large airport and turned into a side road which led to the area where they kept the smaller commuter airlines and private planes.

"Is someone coming to pick him up," Rhonda asked.

Chris frowned.

"This is where Matt keeps his jets for his company," she said, pointing to a nearby building, "They hanger there."

"He's heading the opposite direction," Rhonda said, as she followed the cab as it drove towards two buildings with several Lear jets parked outside.

Chris' eyes widened.

"Those are some nice planes," she said, "Friends of his?"

"Friends of Duval I'd say."

"He's pulling into that lot," Chris said, "Follow but don't let him see you."

Rhonda rolled her eyes.

"He won't see us," she said, following the cab onto the lot but parking a short distance away.

* * *

"Do you see them," C.J. said, turning to Novelli.

His eyes narrowed.

"They're over there by those boats," he said, pointing, "They must think we've gone over there and hid somewhere."

The men had been standing by their building several minutes ago but after conferring with each other, they walked off in another direction.

"Houston's got to be meeting Antonio on the docks close by," C.J. said, "I wonder what Antonio's reaction was."

"I imagine he was surprised it wasn't you," Novelli said.

"Maybe he's not working for the other side," C.J. said, "He seems to despise Andre."

"That might be," Novelli said, "but he wants his sister out of there and safe and family ties, they can make you do just about anything."

"Then why did these men come after us in the café," she asked.

Novelli shrugged.

"I don't know," he said, "Maybe they were going to kill Matt or otherwise get him out of the way to make getting to you easier."

C.J. shivered at the thought of that but she wasn't reassured that he was any safer with Antonio if the man had decided to betray them.

"I want to go find him," she said.

He grabbed her arm.

"You can't," Novelli said, "That's not part of the plan. He wants you safe."

She closed her eyes.

"I don't want anything to happen to him," she said.

"He'll be okay," Novelli said, "We just got to sit tight in case they're trying to lure you out."

C.J. knew he was right but she didn't like it. She nodded.

"We'll wait a few more minutes and then I'm going to find him," she said.

Novelli just looked at her, knowing nothing he could say would convince her otherwise.

* * *

Matt stood folding his arms, studying Antonio who remained silent.

"If we're done here, I've got to go," Matt said.

"I know you don't trust me," Antonio said, "But we have to work together."

"Is that what we're doing," Matt asked, "Because I'm not sure whose side you're on."

Antonio raised his shades and looked at him.

"I think I've proven myself enough to you," he said, "as for C.J…"

"Leave her out of it," Matt said, "you've caused her enough damage."

"If you don't work with me," he said, "You may get into Duval's compound but you won't get out of it alive."

"Maybe we'll just have to take our chances," he said, "if the alternative is wondering each minute if you're going to hand us right over to Duval."

Antonio started to say something then stopped. Matt felt rather than saw the men creeping up to him. He swung around with one hand raised to push at them and the other reaching for his gun. Before he could grab it, one of the men grabbed his own gun and swung it, striking Matt in the head knocking him unconscious to the ground. Antonio stepped closer to him, looking down at him lying there then shook his head.

* * *

"Maybe I should call Dan," Chris said, as they both walked into the small hanger.

Scott had entered into a small glass-enclosed office and was talking to a man there who slipped him an envelope. Scott walked out and read them, when his phone rang again.

"I'm at the airport," he said, "I'm about to get on the plane. I should be at Sapphire Island in a few hours. This had better not be a trap…Your guy will meet me there…He's working for what agency? "

Rhonda heard that and looked at Chris

"I'm going to follow him," he said.

Chris shook her head vehemently.

"You most certainly will not Rhonda," she said, "You don't know where he's going and it's going to be dangerous."

Rhonda shrugged.

"How hard can it be," she said, "I'll just find some place to hide. I've got to go. Didn't you just hear what he said? Duval's got another man on the inside and someone's got to warn Jonathan."

"Can't you just call him or his boss?"

Rhonda shook her head.

"I seem to recall that his last boss got blown up inside a train terminal in D.C. while picking up a payoff for giving up C.J.'s hiding place to Duval."

Chris sighed.

"You're right," she said, "We don't know who in his department is working for the government and who…isn't. But this is way too dangerous. Why don't I…"

"Shhh," Rhonda warned, "He's getting ready to go. I've got to hurry."

They watched Scott pick up what few belongings he had brought and walk out of the building onto the tarmac where a small private Gulfstream jet sat parked, getting prepared for takeoff.

Rhonda turned towards Chris.

"Go call Uncle Roy and Dan and get them moving," she said, "I'll call you with the location when we land."

Chris looked horrified.

"Rhonda, what do you mean when you land," she said, "They'll kill you if they find you on that plane."

"They won't find me," she said, "in my smuggling days, I learned how to hide anything anywhere including myself on anything with wheels including planes. They won't find me."

Chris sighed but knew she couldn't talk her friend out of her crazy plan. So she hugged her instead.

"Be careful," she said, "and we'll be waiting for your call."

Rhonda nodded and walked out towards the airplane, leaving Chris behind.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77---Here's the latest chapter of this FF story. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and for the comments.

* * *

C.J. knew exactly when something bad had happened because she felt the prickling on the back of her neck, the signal her body gave her when something went wrong. And she knew that this time her feelings centered on Matt and that he was in trouble. She didn't want any argument so she left Novelli and walked to the door.

"Where are you going," he asked, knowing the answer.

"I'm going to find him," she said, opening the door and cautiously looking outside.

"I'm sure he's fine," Novelli said, following her.

She turned to face him.

"I'm sure he's not," she said, simply.

The area by the docks was fairly quiet with a few people tending to their small boats. C.J. and Novelli didn't see any trace of the men who had chased them. She wondered why they had given up so easily and left.

"We should have never let him meet with Antonio by himself," C.J. said.

Novelli narrowed his eyes.

"I thought you trusted the guy," he said.

"I trusted one thing about him and that's his love for his sister," she said, "but that could make him either a crucial ally or a dangerous adversary for us."

"Matt can handle himself," Novelli said.

C.J. sighed.

"I know he can but he could have run into those men," she said.

"They'd have their hands full with him," Novelli said.

She knew that was true if he had the chance to fight back and defend himself. But she trusted her intuition especially when it came to the people who were closest to her and that included Matt. She had the same feeling when a spirited horse had stepped on his leg, breaking it and she had been miles away from his ranch, not to mention the time more recently when he had been abducted by old enemies and kept captive for a month.

Her pace quickened as they walked down the docks looking for Matt.

* * *

Rhonda sat inside the cramped storage closet in the back of the jet, next to the galley. She heard footsteps nearby and a door slam nearby. She braced herself within her space knowing that the plane was preparing for takeoff with her and Scott inside. Taking several deep breaths, Rhonda closed her eyes as she felt the plane lurch as it began to move and the engines pierce the air. As the plane taxied to the end of the runaway, she began to second guess her impulsive action to follow Scott onto the plane but she knew her choices had been made when she had overheard his conversation. Did Jonathan know that his organization had not been completely cleaned out during the recent investigation? What other surprises would be waiting for him involving the Marshal's office?

She fell back as the plane stopped and then sped up as it approached lift off speed. Fortunately, the closet wasn't too cluttered and she braced herself against one of the walls as the front end of the plane and then the back left the ground. Rhonda hated flying in airplanes, even strapped in a passenger seat in economy class, let alone sitting in some dark closet. She wrapped her arms around herself as she waited for the plane to reach its cruising altitude.

* * *

Not too far away, Scott sat in his seat looking at his watch. He desperately needed a drink even at this hour of the morning. What was awaiting him on Sapphire Island? Was it truly some Good Samaritan who would help him or was it the end of a gun? He had learned years ago how Andre viewed betrayal among those who worked for him and the explosion in the parking garage which nearly wiped him off the planet only reinforced that lesson he had learned.

He leaned back closing his eyes. The pilot had assured him that his contact would be waiting for him on Sapphire Island and Scott didn't know if that was good news or bad, which scared him. Still, he had no choice. It would have only been a matter of time until the FBI arrested him so he knew he had to get out of the country.

Would Andre be waiting for him or would his men that he sent to meet Scott just kill him and dump his body in an alley somewhere. Even if anyone in the village saw that, they probably wouldn't ask too many questions. Scott had never been to Sapphire Island but he knew that if Andre was headquartered there, then he had bankrolled the local government to the extent he could operate carte blanche and that any international authorities that came looking for him wouldn't be able to reach him.

Scott had been a bored college boy looking for excitement when it found him when Andre came up to him at a party and offered him a job. He hadn't been a big player in any international crime ring back then, just a recent graduate from an Ivy League university who had begun dabbling in the drug trade to develop an identity different from his family. At the time, Scott had not known who Andre's father was but he had been paying attention enough during the past month to learn that he was a Duval. Not that it shocked him like it seemed to everyone else around him. When you compared the two…like father like son and Scott figured that Duval, sr. had done everything to ensure that his illegitimate son would have it all since the more legitimate heirs were locked up with their father in various prisons around the world.

He got up to get a drink, knowing it was still early morning but thinking he needed something much stronger than coffee.

* * *

Jonathan ran his hands through his hair, feeling the sweat dripping from the back of his neck. His charter plane had landed on Sapphire Island and he had felt dismay that none of the dragnet even his subordinate Brad had met him at the tiny airport. He looked around and saw fleets of Gulfstreams and Lear Jets intermixed with older Pipers and Cessnas, all parked in a series of rows. He figured that a good share of the aircraft belonged to guests attending Andre's latest party.

He looked up suddenly when he heard someone approaching. Brad looked sheepish as he approached his supervisor.

"I'm sorry boss," Brad said, "Denton had me filling out a bunch of paper work."

"For warrants," Jonathan said derisively, as they walked to what passed for the terminal building, "Good luck getting those honored here."

Brad shook his head.

"Just forms to have ready and waiting in case we need to extradite anyone," he said.

Jonathan had to laugh at that.

"Good luck there too," he said, "I doubt this little island hideaway would honor any treaties even if it had any with the United States."

Brad sighed.

"It's so frustrating that all the big players might be here and we can't do anything about it," he said, "We're stuck going after that Houston character."

They reached the terminal which was empty except for a man at a counter who just looked at him.

"We don't even need passports to come here," Jonathan said, "It's a fiefdom not a country and Andre's in control of it."

"The island's been bombarded with air and water traffic in the past several days," Brad said, "Must be for his social gala."

Jonathan frowned.

"Has the dragnet been monitoring it at all?"

Brad shrugged.

"Casually maybe," he said, "And no sign of Houston or Parsons here either though they could be hiding out somewhere."

"If they're here, it's because none of us are doing our jobs," Jonathan said.

Brad led them to a rental car which looked like it had seen better years and a hurricane or two.

"Well, if they get in the way…"

Jonathan turned to him.

"Of what," he said, "From what you said, there's nothing for them to get in the way of, Brad. There's no surveillance of Andre's compound let alone any operation planned to take him in."

"Boss, you know we can't do that," Brad said, "We don't have the legal means to do so and we don't even have probable cause."

""Probable cause' is going to be inside that compound tonight," Jonathan said, "and we're just hanging around on the taxpayers' dime doing nothing but hunting down a PI who's worst transgression is that he wants to help his best friend get her life back."

He looked at Brad for an answer but this time the agent just looked back at him in silence.

* * *

C.J. and Novelli reached the end of the docks but still saw no sign of Matt. What they did see was Antonio walking towards them.

"Where's Matt," Novelli asked him.

Antonio looked back at them.

"Several of Andre's men captured him."

C.J. and Novelli looked at each other and she felt fear penetrate her heart. A part of her wanted to close off and sink to the ground but she knew that wasn't an option.

"Where did they take him," C.J. said, even though she already knew.

"To the compound," Antonio said simply.

"Didn't you try to stop them," Novelli said.

"I had just gotten there to meet him," Antonio said, "They were already taking him."

"They must have been the men who were waiting for us at the café," C. J. said.

Antonio raised his brows.

"You mean that you were ambushed?"

C.J. nodded.

"We lost them but they must have regrouped and…"

Antonio waited for her to finish but she didn't. She frowned instead, deep in thought.

"How would they have known about that meeting," she asked herself out loud.

Novelli looked at her suddenly.

"It's hard to believe that it would just be a chance encounter," he said.

C.J. nodded. Antonio looked at the both of them.

"Maybe they crossed paths with him on their way to the docks," he said, "They'd lost their chance to get you so maybe they realized that getting him was almost as good."

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"We've got to go after him."

Antonio put a hand on her arm.

"That's exactly what Andre's counting on," he said, "That you'll drop everything and go try to find him without protecting yourself."

C.J. shook her head.

"No, I'm not going to do that," she said, "We're going to stick with the original plan."

Antonio studied her, saw the fear mixed with resolve cross her face.

"We'd better get back to the convent and start finalizing our plans," he said, "The sooner we get started, the quicker we can make sure this is Andre's going away party."

* * *

Matt opened his eyes and winced as a painful spasm hit his neck and he closed them again. He felt like he was lying on a hard floor. A cool draft hit his face and he reopened his eyes. Darkness greeted him, save for a sliver of light underneath what he believed was a door. Most likely bolted shut to keep him inside. He gingerly got up on his feet and discovered he guessed correctly. He moved around and discovered a cot in the corner and sat on it. He knew he was somewhere inside Andre's compound and that he had been brought here by others. The last sight he had seen before the blow to his head and blacking out had been Antonio's face etched with two emotions, resolve and regret.

* * *

C.J. paced in her room back at the convent, unable to stop while she found herself focusing on Matt rather than the mission ahead of her. She knew that until Andre had recaptured her that he would remain alive. After that…well she couldn't let even think about that let alone let it happen. Several hours remained until they set out towards putting the end of her nightmare behind her and reuniting Antonio with his sister, Elena. They had gone over the plan one more time until everyone knew what role they were to play in it and they had covered every contingency.

Everyone else had been shocked and upset when learning of Matt's abduction and she found herself filling the role of trying to tell them to focus on the task at hand. Finally, everyone sitting around the table had nodded before they had all left the room to prepare themselves individually.

She finally sat on the bed and tucked her feet beneath her, running through the plan again in her head and trying to ignore the niggling thought that had bothered her since Antonio had told her and Novelli about Matt. She knew that Novelli had his own suspicions about what Antonio had told them and she wondered too. How could he have lost track of Matt and his kidnappers so easily? Shaking her head to clear it, she found her thoughts drifting toward the reality that at some point today or tonight she would be face to face with Andre again. The man she had run away from months ago and had been hiding from ever since, even though she knew the futility of that.

She heard a knock on the door and got up to open it. Novelli stood there and she let him in.

"Are you ready," he asked.

She nodded her head, trying to smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said, "We're going to get him back."

"Of course we will," Novelli said, "and we're going to take care of the last of the Duvals."

"I hope so," she said, "But I'm not going to underestimate him."

Novelli nodded.

"That would be a mistake that others have already made."

"Novelli…"

He looked up at her. She took his hand in her own.

"Thanks for being here."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else," he said, "Just like old times."

She smiled at that.

"But we can't let anything happen to you either or Mama would never forgive us."

"Nothing's going to happen."

She frowned.

"This is going to be very dangerous," she said, "Andre's as bad as they come."

"But his days of terrorizing people are going to be over after tonight," Novelli said, "and the world will be a little less of a dangerous place when he's gone."

* * *

The plane finally landed on Sapphire Island and Rhonda held on tightly inside her closet while it bounced down a couple times then glided down the runway. God, she hated airplanes even when she was a paying passenger rather than a stowaway. As the plane taxied, she looked around and then ran her hand through her tangled hair. Damn, she didn't have any passport or visa with her and wondered if that would be an issue when she disembarked.

Scott sat a few feet away, much more relaxed than he had been earlier having drunk a couple glasses of scotch during the flight. The plane would soon reach whatever passed for a terminal on this god forsaken backwater island. He looked out the window and saw a long row of private aircraft and then a small building. He looked around for his luggage and grabbed what little he had and prepared to leave the plan as soon as it stopped and someone opened the door to let him out. But then wait, what if he waited and the persons meeting him decided to kill himself instead. The uncertainty that had plagued his thoughts earlier returned in a rush despite the liquor.

Suddenly, the plane lurched to a stop and he waited, sweat dripping down his face as he pulled at his shirt collar for the door to open.

* * *

Matt sat in his room, his mind working quickly. He knew he was locked up tight in a room in a compound with extremely tight security enclosed in a geographically rugged area. He also knew that the rest of his team including C.J. were probably going to go forward with their plan to get into the compound and that he had to adopt a different role at helping them. He glanced around for anything in the room that might help him leave it and anything to use against the guards who were surely waiting outside. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and an electronic key open the door. It opened and standing in the doorway next to two guards was a tall, muscular man with dark hair and piercing eyes.

The man smiled at him but not with those eyes and Matt knew he was face to face with Andre Duval.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

When she first moved to Texas after her parents had both died one after the other, she had spent her days working hard on her uncle's ranch and the nights tucked under her bed covers with a flashlight reading her books. When her uncle had taken away her flashlight, she had turned her energies at night towards plotting to run away. During her early life, C.J. had sought refuge in books when her father, a judge and her mother, one of his former clerks had argued late into the night about his position. She didn't think they had ever been aware that she had been listening to them and she remembered one night when her mother had been particularly upset because her father was hearing a case involving a local mobster's hit man who had been on trial for killing several people. From what C.J. had heard about the case here and there around town, they had been "bad" men who had been killed by other "bad" men for doing "bad" things. She remembered that it had been one of the last conversations between her parents before her mother had taken her out of school on the day. On that morning, her father had started up the beaten up family car that he had used for the vacations they had rarely taken and it had exploded in a ball of flame that incinerated a nearby building. Not that she knew the exact chain of events at the time, she just had been told that her father wasn't coming home ever again.

Her mother had died not long after, of what her friends had called a broken heart leaving C.J. to be raised either by her estranged brother in another state or become a ward of the state. She had spent about a year living with several different families before her uncle had been located and had reluctantly taken her into his home on a sprawling ranch outside of Houston.

Years later, she had huddled beneath the bed covers again after another bad man had left her, plotting her escape. Only now she was a grown woman with her father's sharp mind and her mother's resolve, both which she put to use to survive each day she was held captive. When her body was being used by a man she hated, her mind went someplace else. It went back to her childhood filled with happy memories of her parents when she'd had them and into her teenage years after she had met her best friend and they had grown up together. Her past became a lifeline for her present as the present would for her future if she survived it.

And she had broken free from her nightmare at least physically but parts of her still remained in her prison and with the man who controlled it as surely as he believed he had owned her.

"Are you ready to go," a voice asked.

She looked up from where she was sitting and nodded yes at Novelli, knowing that she had no choice anymore. The man who had traveled from halfway around the world and broken from his own emotional journey to find her now had been captured by the man who still haunted her sleep every night.

"We'd better get ready to meet Antonio at the rendezvous site," he said.

She looked up at him and knew that the doubt in his eyes centered on Antonio. The entire team felt it even as very little had been said. She wondered as well and she knew she didn't have that luxury. The other men looked at her for direction and she left with them, having made her decision.

Matt looked up at the man who had tried to destroy his best friend and fought every impulse that he felt deeply in his marrow to lunge at him. Instead, he tried to turn his face into a steely mask and just observe the man, while he evaluated the situation and decided what action to take. After all, he had years of intensive training and experience in military intelligence and his life and those of the people in his charge depended on his ability to quickly and accurately size up any situation for a plan of action. Most of his life had been spent trying to forget that part of his life because it had been filled with fear that had to be pushed down and intense feelings of anger and regret for the missions that failed, where he believed he had failed. But now he needed all that to find a way to beat Andre.

"What, cat got your tongue Houston," Andre said, standing there and looking intently at him, "I'm a man of few words myself."

Matt nodded.

"You're all about action," he said, "Except you prey on women and hurt them."

Andre raised his hand.

"I believe you've been misinformed about who and what I am," Andre said, "I do not hurt women, only those who do not embrace the opportunities I give them."

"You're a Duval," Matt said, "That's enough right there to indict you without the rest of it."

"Yes I am," Andre said, "I'm the only Duval left who is still free to carry on the family name. Ironic that the last one standing of such a great family would be Marquis' bastard child."

"You won't be making daddy proud much longer," Matt said.

Andre chuckled.

"You have way too much confidence in your abilities," he said, "but you're the one who's locked up right now and I'm the one with the key."

"So what happens now?"

Andre looked at his watch then at Matt.

"We have some time to talk before my guests arrive," he said.

Matt stood up, finally feeling solid ground beneath his feet. Andre directed him to a table with two chairs. They both sat down, with Matt eying the other man warily.

"I'm sorry if my men hurt you," Andre said, "That wasn't my intent. It wasn't my original plan to get you at all."

"You were after C.J.," Matt said, "Fortunately, she's somewhere safe."

"Getting ready to come here to rescue you no doubt," Andre said, "I know a lot about her and the way that she thinks and I do know how she views you."

"She won't come here," Matt said, "She'll put miles between this place and herself."

Andre shook his head, smiling.

"Come on Houston," he said, "We both know that's not true. Actually you've made my job much easier and that is to get her here by the party tonight."

"Why is that so important," Matt asked.

"Before she…escaped, I sold her to another business partner…"

"You mean trafficker," Matt corrected.

"Ah yes, I don't like that job title," Andre said, "He's a powerful man who controls the syndicate throughout Eastern Europe. He'll take good care of her and keep her very busy."

Matt's eyes hardened.

"He won't get the chance," he said, "Your days of terrorizing her or any other women are over."

"I hardly would call it terrorizing women or even harming them," Andre said, "Do you know that most of these women grow up in families who don't want them or view them as just another mouth to feed?"

"You prey on the weak," Matt said, "and then you launder your money through a charitable foundation for women."

Andre paused.

"The paperwork on that foundation is done properly through legal channels," he said, "and who's going to come after me. The FBI? The U.S. Marshal's office? There are a couple of surprises left there for them to find."

"You planted your own men in both those agencies," Matt said.

"I took care of them after I was finished with them except for the one C.J. killed," Andre said, "to save your life."

"How many are left?"

"Nice try Houston," Andre said, "But that will be my little secret."

"If you don't think I'm leaving alive, what's the harm in telling me," Matt asked.

"Patience as my father used to say," Andre said, "but he mentioned that you were never a patient man."

"He helped you do all this from his prison cell."

Andre nodded.

"It was a way to get what I wanted and give him what he needed," he said, "Which was to pay you back for sending him and his son away to prison by going after what he knew you valued most in the world."

"C.J."

"The man is dying in that prison and will never see the outside of it again," Andre said, "but my success as a businessman and at destroying his enemies breathed some life into him at least for a while."

"He gave you money and the key to his weapons arsenal," Matt said, "which you put to use including at my corporate headquarters."

"Only once at your headquarters," Andre said, "though I heard that someone tried to kill your good friend and my former associate Scott Prescow there recently."

Matt tried to hide his surprise.

"If you didn't do it then who did," he asked.

"I don't care who did it," Andre said, "I have no more use for Scott. He's betrayed me before, he'll do it again. I just needed him on this one special assignment."

"He helped you kidnap C.J."

"He did a good job there," Andre said, "He set the whole thing up. He set her up. And he was perfectly happy to do it."

Despite his opinion of his former friend, the news still struck Matt cold.

"Why?"

"Now Houston, that's not really my affair," he said, "But he was engaged in some questionable behavior with your company and she being the intelligent woman she is probably suspected him of illegal actions."

"She worked for the FBI."

"She thought the man assigned to her could be trusted but he worked for me," Andre said, "He's fishing off his own private island enjoying his retirement even as we speak. He was the man who called her to meet him the night I sent my best men to get her."

Matt digested that.

"Scott was paid quite well for his work," Andre said, "but he hated C.J. anyway like she hated him for betraying her friend."

"Julia," Matt said, "She turned away from Scott when he almost got her and C.J. killed."

"That was my father's doing," Andre said, "I wanted C.J. back then but my father sent men to interfere with my plans."

"She got her friends out of the fire he had set," Matt said, "but Julia knew the truth about Scott and tried to warn her before she died last year."

"Commendable on her part," Andre said, "Scott is a leech on society who will meet his end soon enough."

"And you got away with whatever you were doing," Matt said, "and then expanded your enterprise."

Andre folded his hands.

"Like father, like son."

"You're going to end up exactly where he is," Matt said, "or dead."

Andre stroked his chin.

"I really was sorry to read in the newspaper about your broken engagement to that lovely creature but when you left to go find yourself, it provided me a perfect time to put my plan in action. After years of waiting for that right time."

Matt knew that he spoke the truth and that it was his departure after his canceled wedding that had set this entire course of events in motion.

Rhonda looked around her, expecting someone to either apprehend her for stowing away on the airplane and landing on foreign soil with no passport or to kill her for stowing away on an airplane and landing on soil owned by an international criminal. She had waited for Scott to leave the plane first and had heard the door swinging open and two men with accents board the plane. They talked with Scott but she couldn't make out what anyone said but then she heard the footsteps and the door closing again. She counted to 100 inside her head before carefully opening the closet door and stepping out in the galley after looking both around. She carefully crept out of the airplane, falling about six feet to the tarmac.

Looking around, she didn't know what to do or where to go. She knew Scott had probably gone into the building so she avoided that and walked towards an open gate which led to the street. The heat caused sweat to bead on her brow and she knew that a hot and steamy day like Houston at its worst awaited her. She passed through the gate and walked down the street. She had brought some money but didn't know where to exchange it or even if she needed to do so she did what she always did when feeling disoriented and lost which was to head to the closest building that looked like a diner.

"Excuse me," she said, hoping that English was spoken here, "Can you help me find…"

The man looked at her and smiled.

"What do you wish to find young lady?"

She looked at him warily, but he just seemed friendly not fresh.

"I'm looking for a place to eat," she said, "That takes U.S. dollars and is cheap."

He nodded and then pointed towards what looked like the town's main strip. She thanked him and walked down the street shaking her head at the audacity which had led her on some strange island to find a man who annoyed her almost all the time and might now be in horrible danger from his own side.

C.J., Novelli and the mercenaries walked to the rendezvous. The men talked as they probably often did before their assignments. She remained deep in her thoughts, trying not to think about him. Nausea filled her insides as she thought about what lay ahead of them.

They waited for several minutes then Antonio showed up.

"It's time to move now," he said, "We have a very narrow window of opportunity."

"Where are we going," Brady asked.

"I can't tell you exactly but it's the least fortified area of the compound at least in terms of security," Antonio said, "But there are plenty of topographical challenges which is where all that training we did will come in handy."

"Oh great," Zeke said, "I can't wait."

"It's going to be very arduous," Antonio warned, "and getting in will be the easy part."

"I'll bet," Zeke said, "Now we've got to add getting Matt out along with the rest of our plan."

Antonio nodded.

"That might be difficult if they've got him in the center of the compound," he said, "It's very heavily guarded."

"We'll get in there," C.J. said, "and we'll get him out."

And when she said those words, she meant it. The men nodded their heads and they walked down an empty road until they met a rocky trail. Antonio began climbing it and they followed, without looking behind them.

Matt sat and looked at his captor who had gotten out of his chair to step outside the room before returning.

"I hear your friend Scott has arrived safely," Andre said, "He'll be joining us at the party."

"He'll be better off among his own kind," Matt said.

"Such harsh words for such a good friend," Andre said, "You went to military school together then university. I imagine that created a close bond between the two of you. The problem is that men like Scott love things more than people."

"Like money and power," Matt said, "Something you both have in common."

Andre shook his head.

"We're much different from each other," he said, "I give women who everyone else has turned their backs on work, a roof over their head and food. Rare commodities in most of this world.

"What about C.J.," Matt asked, "She had all that already in her life, a life that you stole from her."

Andre tilted his head.

"She was different," he said, "I knew that when I first saw her years ago and she offered herself to me."

"To save her friends," Matt said, "She was willing to do anything because she values people first."

"That is true," Andre conceded, "The problem with caring about people that much is that there are always people who will turn and use that against you. It makes you easy to control."

The meaning of that statement hit Matt as was its intention. He blinked his eyes but tried to keep his expression neutral.

"You used the people she cared about her against her."

"When she first came here, she didn't want to go shall we say with the program and resisted," Andre said, "so yes, the people she cared about were used as leverage to insure her compliance."

"You threatened to hurt people she cared about," Matt guessed.

"I didn't just threaten," Andre said, "I received regular updates on their status even yours and passed them along."

"How did you…"

"Know where you were," Andre said, "Give me some credit. I only hire the best to do whatever I need them to do and finding you was easy especially when you joined up with those mercenaries."

"You mean…"

"Yes," Andre said, "Our paths already crossed once and you cost me a few months worth of income when you and your friends took those children."

"They were kidnapped and forced to do what most adults won't even do," Matt said, "which is to serve as fodder in some civil war."

Andre sighed.

"I don't deal in children much but as long as there are wars, there will be two sides that need young soldiers to fight them."

"Children you mean…"

"That you rescued I believe," Andre said, "But you can't save them all nor can you save the women. A lot of evil things happen to women and children in this world."

"You profit off of it," Matt said, "when you sell them into slavery."

"Perhaps, but many of them would be exploited anyway," Andre said, "Many go without food or clean water and are preyed on by the dregs of humanity."

Matt just sat there and wondered if Andre believed what he said or was playing games with him, buying time until he captured C.J.

He decided to play along for now.

C.J. and the men reached the top of the ridge already drenched with sweat. They heard the sounds of what sounded like a waterfall and she closed her mind to tune it out, not wanting to remember. They turned the corner and found themselves looking at a sheer face of rock.

"We're going to have to get over that," she said.

The men looked at her and started getting their equipment out to start climbing.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Here's an update to this very long ff story. I hope you enjoy it, thanks for your patience and your comments!

* * *

Rhonda entered what looked like a café and looked around the room. Many of those sitting there eating or talking amongst themselves paid her little mind given that people walked in and out of the establishment all day. She slung her bag over her shoulder and went to find an empty table to sit down and get something to eat. She had to get her bearings here and she had no idea how she was going to do that. Where Scott had gone off to, she had no idea and she didn't know where to start looking for Jonathon. She knew that one of the dragnet members wasn't what he or she appeared to be and she had to warn him.

A man walked over to her, with what looked like a faded menu.

"I only have U.S. dollars," she said.

He nodded.

"That will be fine," he said, "You might want to try the house special. Fried squid and all the beer you can drink."

She wrinkled her face and thought not, needing to keep her wits about her.

"I'll just have the vegetable soup and some bread," she said, giving him back the menu.

He left her table and she wondered again what she had gotten herself into hopping on a plane without buying a ticket and coming on down here into the midst of law enforcement dragnet. She knew she was fed up with the federal agents focusing all of their energy and time on trying to apprehend Matt when the real criminals were walking around scot free.

Then she remembered so she pulled out her cell phone to call Chris. She dialed and thankfully her friend answered.

"Oh my God, you're all right," Chris said.

Rhonda thought she detected a tone of surprise in Chris' voice and that rankled her a bit.

"Of course I'm fine," she said, "I'm on some small island, my hair is frizzling from humidity worse than Houston's and I can't find anyone."

"What did you think was going to happen," Chris said, "You've never been there before."

"Neither has anyone else," Rhonda pointed out, "Except the locals and they all seem to be keeping their heads down."

"So what's happening there," Chris asked, "Have you found Jonathan?"

"I haven't found anyone," Rhonda said, "I even lost Scott. Not that that bothers me. Hopefully he's lying in a ditch somewhere."

"Rhonda…"

"He deserves it," Rhonda said, "And I don't imagine his behavior has won him many fans even on his own side."

Then she looked up and saw two men enter.

"Speak of the devil," she said, "Here he is right now."

"Scott?"

"Who else," Rhonda said, "I'd better go before he sees me."

She clicked off her phone and slouched in her seat. Scott had entered the café but not alone. A man in a dark suit had led him in the room and they had sat at a nearby table. She watched them and wished she could hear what they were saying. She thought about moving closer to eavesdrop but there wasn't even a potted tree to hide behind. Sighing, she sipped her drink and began eating her soup.

* * *

Not far away, Scott sat in the chair next to a man he had just met. When the jet had landed on Sapphire Island, he had considered making a quick getaway in case Andre had sent someone to kill him. But soon enough, the door had opened after the plane had stopped and two men both packing guns on their waists had gestured for him to get off the plane and told him he had to come with them. The two men had split off after they reached a vehicle and Scott had ridden with his current companion to the diner to get something to eat. He still didn't know whether this was some kind of last meal or whether the fact that he was being fed meant that they weren't going to kill him.

The man smiled at him, no doubt taking some pleasure in his discomfort.

"You are sitting there wondering when I'm going to kill you."

Scott said nothing, not being able to argue with the man's astuteness.

"Rest assured, I never commit murder inside a restaurant," the man said, "It's too messy."

Scott swallowed noisily and began to pull at his collar again.

"Who do you work for," he asked.

The man handed him a menu.

"Let's eat first," he said, "Then I'll see if I can answer some of your questions."

Scott sighed.

"How do I know you won't kill me first?"

"Have some patience Mr. Prescow," the man chastised from behind the menu, "Soon enough you'll know the answer to that question."

Scott feared the man was right and didn't think he would like the answer.

* * *

C.J. rested a moment while climbing up the sheer rock face. She had concentrated hard as she had been taught to seek out crags in the rock for good footholds. After climbing a while, she glanced behind her and saw that the other men were making good time. The hours and days spent climbing every hill, rock and mountain on that other island had been well served. Not that she hadn't been rock climbing before, as she and Matt had gone often. A pang hit her as she thought about him and she tried to force her mind to concentrate on the task at hand. She couldn't think about her best friend except that she would find him just as he had found her.

She reached out with her hand to grab hold of the rock and pushed herself upward, her knees brushing against the surface.

"The top is just a few more feet," Antonio said, from just behind her.

He had proven to be an adept climber, having learned in the military just as Matt had. The others had a more difficult time but had made progress. She hoped that when they reached the top, they wouldn't encounter any guards but realized they would have to deal with that problem if and when it came up. She inched up further and took another brief rest. The climb had proven difficult, and she realized that Andre had chosen to surround his compounds with rock faces and high cliffs because they provided a natural deterrent to anyone who might infiltrate them. When she had escaped the compound in Washington, she had jumped ten feet down into the raging current of the river to get away. She heard a roar of water crashing onto rocks some place, perhaps a waterfall but couldn't see anything. Perhaps when they reached the top they would find it.

She thought back to the nights she spent huddled in her bed after he had left her feeling broken, listening to the water flowing by as she shut her eyes. Inside her head, flowed memories of trips she had taken with Matt where the two of them had gone hiking to get away from the frantic pace of life in the big city. They both loved waterfalls and sought them out, white water rafting through some of the country's most formidable rivers and camping out near places where water cascaded from high up in the rocks down into swirling pools below. Those memories of the past had kept her alive when she sensed death pulling at her, while spending days in a bed on a ranch in Colorado and felt her resistance weakening. Some nights as she lay there, she thought she saw Death as a figure standing by her bed and then a woman would sit by her side for hours talking to her in a soothing voice. Until the one day when the shadowy figure had not returned.

She shook her head to free her from her reflections and continued climbing.

* * *

Matt stared up at Andre, but said nothing.

"You were in South America eight months ago," Andre said, "Working to clear farmland for a small village."

Matt's eyes rose at that.

"How did I know that," Andre said, reading him, "I just told you I have people everywhere and kept tabs on the people closest to her."

Matt just continued looking at him.

"I told her that one night when she tried to push me away," Andre said, "She wouldn't cooperate and I showed her a photo of you standing beneath the lone tree in a large field with a small child."

Matt sighed, remembering that moment. He had been staying with a local farmer and his family who were trying to raise feed for cattle. A young boy about eight had worked as hard as any of the grown men and had eaten many a lunch with Matt beneath that tree.

"I told her I could have you killed with one phone call," Andre said, "That changed her attitude about the things I expected from her quite a bit. Made our time together more meaningful."

Matt felt the bile rise in his throat.

"I used her family and her friends," Andre continued, "but it was you who provided the best leverage of all. She would do anything to ensure your safety. Do you know that?"

Matt did only too well. It had always been like that with him and C.J. After all, she had offered to sacrifice her own life so that he could leave her bleeding from a bullet wound inside a car to go into a building to retrieve evidence that would clear him of being framed for murder.

"I never intended to have to sell her," Andre said, "But you know how it can be when you're running a business. Unforeseen expensive often arise."

"It was either her or Elena, wasn't it?"

Andre looked up at Matt, but if he were surprised by his statement, he hid it well.

"What makes you say that?"

"This trafficker had his eye on a younger woman," he said, "I believe that was Elena."

"How would you know this?"

"As you just said, it was never your intent to sell C.J."

Andre leaned back in his chair.

"You're a very perceptive man Mr. Houston," he said, "I'm going to regret having you killed."

"You mean you're not going to do it yourself," Matt said, "You only beat up on women?"

"Hardly," Andre said, "But as you see, I'm hosting a party tonight and I have to focus on my guests."

"What kind of party does a human trafficker have anyway?"

Andre smiled.

"It's a fund raising party for the foundation of course," he said, "People are flying in from all over the world."

"Including this trafficker who now owns C.J.," Matt said, "What kind of donation will he be making?"

Andre touched his hands together.

"So many questions," he said, "I would think you'd be concerned with how you'll be spending the last few hours of your life."

Matt shrugged.

"I figure I have nothing better to do," he said, "Why not spending some time trying to find out what makes a sociopath like you tick."

"If you're nice, I'll pass along to your next of kin where to pick up your body," he said, "I may even let C.J. come in and say goodbye when she arrives."

Matt listened, but he had no intention of dying any time soon, certainly not here.

"You seem to be pretty sure that she's going to show up."

"Of course," Andre said, "Like I said there's nothing she wouldn't do to ensure your well being."

* * *

C.J. reached the top of the rock face before the others and hoisted herself over the top. She sat for a moment, taking deep breaths and looked at the splendor around her. Beautiful indeed, was the jungle that surrounded the rock as was the view out into an ocean all the way to the horizon. Novelli joined her.

"I don't think I'm going to do that again," he said, unclasping his equipment, "I'll leave it to the younger guys…and women."

She smiled.

"I was thinking of the times Houston and I went climbing," she said, "I never thought I would need those skills for something like this."

"It's sure a great view."

Antonio joined them.

"We're almost to the back entrance," he said, "Just a couple of miles through the jungle."

"It doesn't look like there's much of a trail," Novelli noted.

"We're going to have to cut one ourselves once we go about two hundred yards," Antonio said, "No one else has made it further than that."

C.J. and Novelli looked at each other.

"That's reassuring," Novelli said.

"I don't care," C.J. said, "I'm not going to let anyone or anything stop me until I reach where they're keeping Houston."

Antonio pulled out a water bottle.

"He's going to be guarded," he said, "After all, he's the bait they're setting for you."

"All the more reason to be careful," she said, "We'd better get moving."

When the others had climbed over the top of the rock, she began moving towards the edge of the jungle and disappeared into the foliage.

* * *

Rhonda sat, eating her food and keeping an eye on Scott. Suddenly, she saw him and the man get up to leave. She decided she'd better get moving if she was going to follow him. Before she could remind herself what a reckless plan that was, she watched the two men move towards the entrance and started following them.

She waited a moment behind the door until they had gotten into the middle of the empty street. Perhaps because of the party tonight, the rest of the village remained like a ghost town. She saw the two men move towards an alley and then her eyes widened as she saw four or five other men, most wearing suits descend on the two men. Scott and the other man looked shocked but when they saw the firepower aimed at them, they put their hands up.

"Please don't shoot," she heard Scott yell.

She saw a man approach them and her eyes widened even further.

_Jonathan. _

_

* * *

  
_

Matt sat alone in the room after Andre had left to see to the last minute party arrangements. He thought of C.J. and the others who surely had left the convent to begin the task of infiltrating Andre's compound. Not knowing that they might be walking into a trap, but even so he knew that they would proceed cautiously knowing what they were up against. He sat at the table as shadows from a setting sun began creeping in the small window high up on what must be an outer wall. He listened and heard the guards shuffling and talking to each other in the corridor outside the room in lowered voices. He closed his eyes, trying to come up with an action plan. That's what he always did in situations like this when his best laid plans had gone awry. He knew that Andre had been right in his assessment about C.J. coming to rescue him and his heart ached at the choices she faced, decisions that probably kept him alive while he had been circling the globe on some great adventure. He had returned from his six months journey a whole man once again, but now her life had become fragmented by what had happened in his absence.

Suddenly, he heard the key turn the lock on the door and it opened. He braced himself in case Andre had chosen to return to talk with him some more. But instead when he looked up, he saw Elena dressed in dark slacks and a buttoned shirt, her hair back in a French braid.

"What are you doing here," he said.

She smiled.

"I could ask you the same thing, no?"

"Andre sent some of his men to town to get C.J.," Matt explained, "They couldn't find her so they settled for me instead."

She came over and touched his face where it was bruised.

"They hurt you?"

"They knocked me out," he said, "I didn't see it coming. Your brother…"

She narrowed her eyes.

"What about him?"

He sighed.

"Never mind," he said, "I've got no intention to stay locked up here while they turn C.J. over to that trafficker."

"I do not know which one he is," Elena said, "But Andre did say that one of his business partners might not be coming and will be sending representatives instead who will be flying off the island later tonight."

"That might be them," he said, "If they get her on that plane, we'll never see her again."

Elena looked troubled at his words.

"I will help you," she said, "Just tell me what to do."


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80--Here's the latest chapter of this FF story. I hope you enjoy reading it and thanks for the comments!

* * *

Jonathan walked up to where Scott stood next to another man, as the other agents moved to frisk both of them. They quickly located a firearm in a holster on the man and then turned their focus on Scott.

"Hey, I'm not armed," he protested, "This man was…trying to kidnap me."

Not impressed, the agent frisked him anyway but found nothing.

"We're taking both of you in for questioning," Denton said, gesturing to some of his men to handcuff them.

Scott's eyes grew large as he watched them place iron bracelets on his companion.

"You can't arrest me," he said, "I didn't do anything."

Denton shook his head.

"If you weren't doing anything," he said, "You'd be doing nothing back in Texas."

Jonathan set his jaw, looking at the man in front of him.

"We got you Prescow exactly where we want you," he said, "You might as well come clean now or you'll be doing a lot of time."'

"I want a lawyer," Scott protested, "We're not on American soil which means this isn't your jurisdiction."

Denton shook his head.

"You watch too many TV shows," he said, as an agent handcuffed Scott.

"Not so tight," Scott said, "I can't feel my fingers."

The agent grabbed his arm and all of them walked into a nearby building surrounded by other men in dark suits. Scott looked around wildly, as sweat beaded his forehead.

"Why are you doing this," he asked, weakly.

"Because you're an accessory to a major trafficker," Jonathan said, gesturing for Brad to come over, "Take him in the office and make sure he's comfortable until we start questioning him."

"I demand to have access to an attorney," Scott protested.

The other agents left and Jonathan took out his cell phone, placing a call to say the deed had been done.

* * *

Rhonda watched from the shadows near another building. She guessed that a dragnet had changed its focus from Matt to Scott and that Scott's evasiveness and lies might be catching up to him finally. At least she hoped.

Her brow knit as she remembered the conversation she had overheard about a traitor being placed on the dragnet that had flown down to this island. She knew that she had to tell Jonathan that one of its members couldn't be trusted, but which one? If she went up and told him, no doubt he'd be furious to see her down here nosing in where she didn't belong in a situation that could turn deadly in a blink of an eye. Would he even listen to her warning? Maybe she could leave a note instead? She rejected that idea when she realized that if it fell in the wrong hands…

He got off the phone and went into the building to join the others. She remained where she was and kept watch.

* * *

C.J. heard the waterfall again before she saw it. It was as large as she had imagined in her head, cascading down about 50 feet into a circular pool filled with rocks below. She walked over to it to take a closer look.

"It's the Pearl of Gates falls," Antonio said, suddenly standing beside her.

"It's lovely," she said, "but formidable at the same time."

"We don't have to climb it fortunately," Antonio said, "We'll be heading further this way."

She looked where he gestured at a wall of swirling vines and woody plants.

"Doesn't look too tough," she said.

"Looks can be deceiving," he warned.

She looked at him carefully and nodded.

"I never forget that."

She watched him as he walked towards the others and closed her eyes, knowing she had to watch her step with him. She couldn't prove it but she felt down to her marrow that Antonio had been involved some way in Matt's abduction. With his training and expertise, Matt could have stopped it. And her partner was vigilant enough in everything he did that only an element of surprise could have thwarted him. She noticed that Novelli also watched Andre's security man carefully and that reassured her. Between the two of them, they could keep him in their sights, ready to respond to any sudden act of betrayal. She hadn't seen it coming from Scott when she should have known. She would be ready this time.

Novelli approached her.

"I wonder how far we're going to get before he turns on us," he said.

She looked back at Antonio.

"Hopefully it's not until we're close enough to make a difference," she said.

"We're going to have to keep watching him carefully."

She nodded.

"We can use it to our advantage," she said.

"It will have to be when we're much closer to the compound," Novelli said, "We need him to get us through the perimeter."

"We will get through it," C.J. said, "Houston's depending on us and I'm not letting him down."

Novelli wiped the sweat off his face.

"I'm sure he's working on a plan to get out of there," he said, "We'll just have to hope we can meet up with him quickly."

"We've got to find them when we get there," she said.

"Antonio's probably right about him being guarded," Novelli said, "We'd better hope he can at least get out of where he's being kept if that's the case."

* * *

Matt looked at Elena. Her eyes had grown concerned when he outlined his plan but he saw no fear there. She had just nodded and walked back towards the door.

"I'll do what I can," she said, before leaving him.

He sat and looked up at the window, which led outside but no doubt was as heavily guarded down below as the corridor outside his cell. Looking at his watch, he realized that the others had probably left the convent and were on their way through the jungle to the compound.

Matt got up and started pacing around the room, looking for any vulnerability in its design or construction but found none. He went back to the chair and sat down just as the door opened again and Andre walked inside.

"How's the party," Matt asked.

"The guests are arriving," Andre said, "and your friend Scott Prescow is on the island and in the custody of one of my best men. He will be arriving here shortly to join the other guests."

"You going to make him your guest of honor for a job well done?"

Andre waved his hand.

"Hardly," he said, "You two are going to be spending your last few minutes alive together."

"Now that's not nice of you to treat one of your associates that way," Matt said, "You should be giving him an employee bonus or a gold watch for what he did for you."

"He betrayed me once. He stole from me," Andre said, "I will not wait until he does it again. He's served his purpose and now he's finished."

"Just like that…"

Andre nodded.

"Yes Mr. Houston," he said, "I don't believe in wasting my time when I want something done."

Matt rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Why did you hire him in the first place if you knew he was going to cause you trouble?"

"He was ambitious, and for a while cheap," Andre said, "Another bored and spoiled rich kid who wasn't content with what he had in front of him but he had access to what I wanted and accomplished that without compromising my business."

"You kill all of the people when you're finished with them?"

Andre tilted his head.

"At some point yes, the ones like Scott who prove to be more trouble than they're worth" he said, "There's not many time it happens but when it does, I deal with it quickly and decisively."

Matt digested that.

"What about Semour Piser?"

Andre grew quiet a moment.

"As you might have guessed, I didn't kill him," he said, "I was out of the country on business when it happened."

"Leaving C.J. alone with him despite her history with him."

"I told him not to touch what belongs to me," Andre said, "He was dead when I returned and she was gone."

"If you didn't kill him, how did he end up in a box floating in the Pacific?"

"How do you think?"

"If you didn't kill him…"

Andre interrupted.

"We both know who killed him."

Matt nodded.

"But who got rid of his body?"

"C.J. killed him to get away," Andre said, "She nearly took out a couple of my guards as well escaping."

"How did she escape," Matt said, "Your compound was as secure as this one?"

"Of course," Andre said, "She got lucky."

"She knew what she faced was worth than death if she stayed until you returned," Matt said.

"She only knew what I told her," Andre said, "There are other things she wasn't meant to remember."

The door opened and several guards entered the room. They looked at Matt and gestured for Andre to join them outside the room.

Matt sighed as the door once again closed leaving him alone. C.J. might not have remembered enough to know what was coming, but she sensed it enough to risk her life trying to escape from a place where doing that was impossible. He wondered where she and the others were right now. Hopefully, moving through the jungle towards the compound eluding detection, but then his mind returned to Antonio. His heart sunk because leading their group was the man who had betrayed him. And if his friend were none the wiser…

He didn't even want to think what that might mean. If they got captured by Andre's men then C.J. would surely be handed off to the trafficker who now owned her at some point this evening. He got out of his chair and started pacing the floor, thinking up a plan to keep that from happening.

* * *

Scott sat back in his chair, waiting for the agents to return. He had mentally rehearsed what he was going to say, that he wouldn't talk until he had access to legal counsel. The room that enclosed him was compact, equipped with a table and several chairs, like an interrogation room at a police station. He could hear soft voices outside of his room as they surely discussed what to do with him next. Well, he would show them who was in control here and it wouldn't be them. Then his stomach dropped as he realized where he was. On an island that belonged to Andre Duval, the man who was no doubt, trying to kill him.

"What are you doing in here," she said.

Scott looked up from the desk where he sat that belonged to Murray who had left early to go to a Begonia display.

"I'm just looking…for a record of one of the accounts."

C.J. had needed to go to Murray's office to pick up some records which she had to make copies to slip to her contact in the FBI. She knew that the president of Houston Enterprises wasn't involved in any illegal activity but like Matt, he needed to be cleared of all suspicion while she worked to find out who was responsible. And more and more she was beginning to suspect the man sitting in front of her who had been sifting through Murray's file cabinet.

She folded her arms.

"Why do I have trouble believing that," she said.

He didn't miss a beat.

"If you do, then that's really not my problem," he said, "It's yours. Matt gave me…"

"Houston's not here," she said, "You have to deal with me."

"You're not in any position to supervise me C.J.," he said, "I'm working under Murray."

"Whose desk you're currently nosing through," she reminded him.

He looked at her.

"What's with you anyway," he said, "You're always on my back about something."

"That's because I don't trust you Scott," she said, "And Houston's gone and I'm looking out for his interests."

"You've got no proof that I'm doing anything wrong."

"You're treading on thin ice Scott," she said, "Julia was right about you."

His brows rose.

"What are you talking about," he said, "She's dead."

"She sent me something after she died," C.J. said, "She had written it a while ago but hadn't mailed it."

"That's nice," he said, "But what does it have to do with me?"

"Everything," C.J. said, "I'm on to you Scott and when I find out what you're up to, I'm going to Murray and the board with it."

Her cell phone rang and she left him to answer it. At the time, he had known who had been calling her and he had smiled, thinking that soon enough he wouldn't have to worry about her going to anyone with her suspicions.

* * *

Jonathan and Denton entered the room.

"Are you ready," Jonathan asked.

Scott looked straight at them.

"Not until I have an attorney," he said.

The two agents looked at each other. Jonathan stepped forward.

"Do you know how seriously in trouble you are Mr. Prescow," he said, "you could be charged with engaging in human trafficking."

Scott shook his head vehemently.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh I am serious," Jonathan said, "When you sold out C.J. because she knew too much about you, you participated in handing her over to Duval."

"You have no proof of that," Scott said.

"We have her statement implicating you," Jonathan said, "and what happened to her after you did it."

"It's just words," Scott protested, "Her word against mine and she had an ax to grind..."

"You had a bigger one," Jonathan said, "Now are you going to cooperate or not?"

Scott remained stubborn.

"Not until I talk to an attorney."

* * *

C.J. kept walking, pushing thoughts of Matt out of her mind.

"He's going to be okay," Novelli said.

She smiled as they approached another thatch of trees trailing vines.

"I hope so."

"I know so," Novelli said, "Andre doesn't know who he's dealing with."

"I hope Houston does."

Novelli called out to Antonio.

"Are we getting close," he asked.

Antonio nodded.

"But this is where things are going to get tricky."

For whom, C.J. wondered as she felt the adrenalin fill her body. She knew if Antonio turned, there wouldn't be much time to react or warn anyone. And if they were surprised by Andre's guard, there might be no time to react. But she knew the danger that lay ahead going into this plan and she had no intention of going back. Neither did any of the others, she knew. Certainly not with Matt being held prisoner inside the compound.

Antonio walked back towards them.

"I just overheard on the radio that Scott Prescow is on the island," he said, "He was Andre's book keeper."

C.J. nodded.

"Among other things," she said quietly.

"I know that he was instrumental in helping Andre find you," Antonio said, "The men who…kidnapped you in the garage met with him before."

C.J. fought to control her breathing as she flashed back to that night when one moment, she had been walking to her car thinking about her upcoming meeting with a man working with the FBI to being ambushed by men who sprung out of the shadows and forced her into a van. She swallowed hard. There had been no need to bind her because the chloroform had done its job but she had lain there half conscious at times listening to their conversation of the men who took her.

"Are you okay," Novelli asked.

She nodded quickly.

"Let's keep going."

"So Scott's returned to Andre's fold," Novelli said.

"I guess so," C.J. said, "I really underestimated him."

"He didn't tell you what he was planning or who he was working with," Novelli said.

She shook her head.

"I should have known," she said, "I actually told him I would go to the board if I found proof of my suspicions. If I had known…"

"You still would have done it anyway," Novelli said, "You care about Matt and the company that both of you spent years building. You were just trying to protect him."

"I wonder what Andre will do to him," she said.

"I know what Matt will if he gets to him first."

So did C.J. and she closed her eyes at the thought. Not because she cared at all about Scott but because of what it would do to Matt. Every life he had to take cost him something in return.

"Andre might kill him," she said, "He's never forgiven him for that earlier betrayal. He was just using him for a while to get to me."

"I wouldn't mourn his passing," Novelli said, "if he gets what's coming to him, that's one less scumbag in the world."

* * *

Julia sat up in bed while C.J. sat beside her. She had been hospitalized for a week after reacting badly to a brand of medication used in her chemotherapy.

"I heard you were in the hospital a while back," Julia said.

C.J. knew what she had been talking about, the shooting incident when she and Matt had tried to rescue Peg from the cult some months ago.

"Oh that," she responded, "I got over it."

Julia raised her brow.

"Just like that?"

C.J. shrugged.

"It did hurt a lot," she said, "It's nothing compared to what you're facing."

Julia smiled.

"Oh I'll been fine," she said, "I do this every few years and I always get through it just fine."

C.J. nodded but didn't feel as confident this time.

"How's Matt," Julia asked, "He called me when you got shot, from the hospital."

C.J.'s eyes widened.

"He did?"

Julia nodded.

"He was somewhat less nonchalant about it than you just were," she said.

"I'm here, aren't I," C.J. said, "So I obviously survived it. I wish people would stop worrying."

"You can't tell someone who cares about you to stop doing that," Julia said, "It doesn't work that way."

C.J. looked out the window.

"I know you're worried about me," Julia continued, "But you shouldn't be. Whatever happens, I'll be okay with it."

"But…"

"No," Julia said, "I've made my peace with my life. If I get more of it to enjoy, then that's great. But if I don't…I've come to terms with that."

C.J. nodded, keeping her tears from showing.

"Houston's heard from Scott," she said, "He got a postcard from Ecuador."

Julia became quiet.

"What does he want," she said, finally.

"I don't think anything," C.J. said, "and that in itself is a surprise."

"He'll want something," Julia said, softly, "He usually does."

"Matt still thinks he's a great guy," C.J. said, "Unless we tell him the truth about what happened back then…"

Julia sighed.

"Maybe it's time to do that."

* * *

C.J. blinked at the memory of one of her last conversations with her friend. She knew now that Julia had been trying to warn her about Scott who had indeed been trying to worm his way back in Matt's circle including his company. She had almost taken Julia's advice and told Matt about Scott's first connection with Andre. If she had back then, things would probably have been much different now. But she had still blamed herself for what had happened.

"There it is up ahead," she heard a voice say.

She looked up and saw the security gates in the distance which shielded Andre's compound.

* * *

Matt sat in the room and the doors opened again.

"I have been contacted by my men," Andre said, after he had walked inside, "Scott will be joining us soon."

Matt looked up at him.

"He's your problem, not mine."

"Ah yes, I heard how you punched him out in your own office building the last time you ran into him," Andre said, "Not long after you heard about C.J."

"Jonathan told me," he said, "You know him."

Andre nodded.

"Resourceful young man who could have been an excellent addition to my operation years ago, but he chose another path," he said, "It remains to be seen how well it will serve him."

"You tried to kill him along with C.J. and her friend, Julia."

"My father did," Andre corrected, "I was not happy with him about that but he felt it needed to be done."

"It cost you C.J."

"For a while," Andre conceded, "But we had our reunion soon enough and I owe Scott some good will for that. I will tell him that before I kill him."

"So your men are going to bring him to your party?"

"As soon as they can," Andre said, "There were some…complications but nothing that can't be rectified. I pay good money to find the best men to do those unpleasant tasks."

* * *

Scott watched as the two agents conferred with each other. Then they both looked at him, arms crossed.

"You will be given access to an attorney after you answer some questions," Denton said, "Not before."

"I have my rights," Scott said, leaning forward.

"This isn't America Mr. Prescow," Denton said, "The same laws don't apply here."

"But you work for the American government," Scott protested.

"It's in the best interest of our government that we get the truth out of you," Denton said, "Whatever way possible so you need to think about cooperating with us."

Scott looked for an escape from the interrogation room but couldn't find one.


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81-- The latest chapter of this long, long FF story is up. Thanks for reading (and your patience) and for your comments. I hope you enjoy reading.

* * *

She lay in his bed, the sheet wrapped around her and her eyes were closed. Even though she couldn't see him, she followed the sound of his footsteps and his voice waiting for the moment when she heard neither and she would be alone again. Unless he had the guards remove her and take her back to her room after he was through with her. Sometimes though, she had been left in his room and when he was gone, had looked through the room for anything that would help her.

"He's not coming to find you," the man said, "You can protect him but he can't protect you."

C.J. heard his words and knew it was his way of reminding her that if she didn't do as he wanted, that harm would come to her best friend who had taken off on a journey to find himself without knowing that some men were following him and that his life was in her hands.

Andre tossed a photograph at her on the bed, which struck her on her forehead. She didn't reach for it.

"That's him sitting in a restaurant in Lima," he said, "He stopped there for a week and stayed with some friends from his military days. Then he took off by plane to Caracas."

She picked up the photo then and gazed at it. Matt sat at an outdoor table in a crowded restaurant with two people, one male and one female that C.J. didn't recognize. Of course, that didn't really surprise her because she hadn't met but a few of the people that he had worked with in military intelligence during his stint in the Army. In the photo, he looked happy, much more so than he had been when he left L.A. And as he sat having fun with his friends, just feet away from him stood men who would kill him within minutes of receiving an order from thousands of miles away. She didn't know if she would ever see him again but the thought of him alive out there somewhere gave her hope.

"It could be as simple as a car bomb or a sniper in one of those buildings," Andre said, "There are many places to hide and many opportunities to kill in Latin American countries and dozens of different factions including the governments to blame it on."

C.J. didn't doubt him. She didn't know very much about her captor but he had told her that he had grown up in one of those countries and knew all about them.

"I've been doing…what you want," she said.

The footsteps stopped. She had been focused on the photo that she hadn't been paying much attention to him.

"Yes you have," he said, "Unlike when you first arrived here. As long as you cooperate with what I've got planned, he will continue to have an enjoyable vacation and remain none the wiser."

C.J. said nothing.

"Of course, he has no idea that you're missing," Andre said, "That's clear from the photos."

She sat up, her muscles rebelling, pulling the sheet closer around her.

"Why would he," she said, "He took off without telling anyone where he was going. Maybe he's never coming back."

Andre examined her closely.

"I don't know why he would leave a lovely creature like you behind," he said, "Surely he must how you feel about him."

"There's nothing to know," she countered, "We're friends. We've been since we were children but then you know that."

He sat on the edge of the bed and she had to fight to keep from shrinking away from him.

"But for you it's more than that," he said, "Not that I mind because it gives me that much more power over you."

"In your own head," she said, "He's an innocent party in all this. I don't want him hurt because of that or anyone else."

He shook his head.

"My father told me about how he exploited his feelings for you several years ago to get him to do what he wanted," Andre said, "That's the problem about caring about someone that deeply, it makes a person weak."

She felt confused.

"Your father?"

He started to say something but then just shook his head slightly. The door opened and several of his guards walked in.

"It's time for you to go," he said, "But I'll be back tonight. Elena will bring something for you later that I want you to wear for me."

He tossed her a robe and she put it on, before getting up to leave with the guards.

* * *

C.J. looked up again and saw that Antonio was looking at her.

"Are you all right," he asked.

She nodded.

"I'm fine," she said, "Let's keep moving."

She kept walking while the others followed her. The jungle grew thicker, and at the same time, the gates that wove their way through it became clearer. They still had to find a way inside and C.J. could see several men walking perimeter.

"We'll have to take them out," Antonio said.

She nodded and the others gathered around.

* * *

Matt looked at Andre who had talked to several guards who had entered the room before sitting down.

"Aren't you missing your own party," Matt asked him.

Andre smiled.

"I've got plenty of entertainment to keep the guests happy," he said, "I've hired musical performers."

"How many of them know the truth about you anyway?"

Andre checked his phone and then tucked it away.

"Most of them believe they're donating money to a worthwhile charity that helps women and children worldwide and they're partially right."

"But there are those who don't and they're there for some other entertainment."

Andre tapped his fingers on the table.

"Their money still goes into the foundation."

Matt leaned forward.

"And you think that makes it more legitimate," he said, "that you're laundering money through your foundation?"

"Your employees came to my last fundraiser in Texas," Andre said, "Delightful people."

"I heard several of them met with you."

"I know they were just there to try to get information out of me to help you and C.J.," Andre said, "But it was an interesting meeting."

"So what's next on the schedule," Matt said.

"You know the answer to that," Andre said, "You can't live and neither can Scott. You can choose to die together or separately."

Matt digested that.

"I'll have to get that some thought."

"Ah yes, because he betrayed you once again," Andre said, "That seems to be a pattern with him. The world will be a better place without him in it."

"He was stealing from me all this time," Matt said, "Still, they have prisons for people like that just like they have prisons for people like you."

Andre chuckled.

"I have no intentions of joining my father and half-brother behind bars in some federal institution," he said, "I have too much to do out in the real world."

"I'll bet."

"That's a fact," Andre said, "After killing you and Scott and handing C.J. over to her new owner, I plan to go on a little vacation."

"What about your assistant?"

"What about her?"

Matt scratched the back of his head.

"Where does she fit in your plans?"

Andre hesitated.

"Why are you so interested in her," he said, "I know she's very beautiful and not very sophisticated. But then I had to rescue her from her own family who sold her to slave traders."

"Rescue her," Matt said, "Does she see it that way?"

"Elena doesn't have many memories of her family back in Ecuador," Andre said, "This is the only place she knows."

"Does she know what you really do for a living?"

Andre tilted his head.

"Why do you want to know that?"

Matt folded his arms.

"I'm just curious," she said, "From what I heard about that Texas gala, she seemed like a very nice young lady. This is a very strange place for her to be."

"When I needed C.J., she got her ready for me each day," Andre said, "But the only thing she needed to know was that C.J. was my consort."

"That's hardly the truth now is it?"

Andre looked at him.

"It was after I made it clear what would happen if she didn't cooperate."

"She escaped when you weren't looking."

Andre nodded.

"Yes she did," he said, "She exploited a hole in my security system."

"She killed a man to get away," Matt said, "That's how much she wanted to stay with you."

"She did me a favor," Andre said, "Piser wanted control of the business but he lacks any real leadership skills or business drive and he was a little too interested in C.J. because of their history."

Two guards suddenly walked into the room and gestured for Andre to come out to talk with them. He looked at Matt before getting up and leaving with them. Once he was gone, Matt scouted the room from where he sat looking for a way out of it. He could find none. He sighed, knowing he would have to be patient and bide his time.

* * *

Scott leaned back in his chair and groaned for what certainly wasn't the first time since he had been abducted by representatives of the United States government. He had just been threatened again that if he didn't help them nail his real bosses that he would be thrown in the clinker and the key would be tossed away forever. And Scott was still a young man, so that word held especially critical meaning for him. He tried to loosen his collar and felt the sweat begin to drench his neck even though a fan wafted air across the room.

"I want some answers," Denton said, "and you'd better start giving them."

That impressed Scott more than a little bit and his eyes flittered back forth between him and Jonathan. He guessed that he had just been introduced to the "bad cop" in the familiar dynamic he had grown used to during the past few months. Jonathan sat surprised at the new fervor in his colleague's voice. He had never seen him so dedicated to focusing his attention on anyone but fugitive Matt. He decided he liked this side of the FBI agent a little better but not much. Still, he slid effortlessly into his role in this dialogue.

"It might be easier on you if you do answer his questions," he pointed out, "We're not all that interested in you just who pays you."

Scott looked indignant.

"Why that's Matt Houston," he said, "You know I work for Houston Enterprises."

Denton leaned closer.

"We mean your real bosses," he said, "and I'm not interested in doing that song and dance we've been doing for the past several months."

"You see Mr. Prescow," Jonathan said, "You're in a bit of trouble here. You set up a woman up to be kidnapped for the purpose of being trafficked."

"You have no proof," Scott retorted.

"We have a statement written by her including your role in her abduction and what happened to her when she was held captive for over a month by Andre Duval."

Scott looked confused.

"There's that name again," he said, "I don't know who he is."

Jonathan scratched his jaw.

"Are you sure about that," he said, "You attended a charity gala he hosted in Texas not too long ago."

"So did you."

"I was working that party," Jonathan said.

"Were you working Rhonda," Scott asked with a smirk.

Jonathan didn't wonder much why people like Matt wanted to punch this guy's lights out. Still, he had to remain calm because he was playing the nicer guy.

"You were at the gala and next thing we know, you're down here slumming on Sapphire Island within miles of Andre's estate."

"I needed the time off in a warm climate," Scott said, "Houston's pretty cold this time of year."

"I imagine that's true in more ways than one," Denton said, "Now let's get back to the questions. I'm in control here. Now is it also true that you had past ties with Duval back in Boston?"

Scott bit his lip. Jonathan looked at him carefully.

"You know that's the truth," he said, "We both do. You might as well admit it."

Scott's lip trembled.

"I was the innocent party in all that."

Jonathan shook his head.

"No, this monster almost took C.J. back then in payment for a debt you owed him," he said, "Only you were nowhere to be found."

"I was indisposed and it was all a big misunderstanding," Scott protested.

Denton looked directly at him, not blinking.

"The only misunderstanding here is that you apparently don't understand that you're about to go down for some serious crimes Mr. Prescow," he said, "and I'll have no trouble signing your life away. At least you'll have one. It seems your former boss tried to kill you."

Scott sputtered.

"How do you know it was me?"

Denton and Jonathan looked at each other.

"Because it's your sports car that got blown up in the parking garage of Houston Enterprises," Jonathan said, "Only the wrong guy died inside it."

"You seem to leave a trail of victims wherever you go Mr. Prescow," Denton noted, "Why is that?"

Scott shrugged.

"I don't know."

Denton slammed the table. Scott jumped.

"Damn it, I am sick and tired of your crap," he said, "Enough of the lying. It's time for you to tell the truth."

Scott looked at them for a long moment. Finally he spoke in a whisper.

"If I tell you, I'm a dead man."

* * *

Rhonda stood across the street from the building where the federal agents were staying. She almost walked inside it several times only she knew if she did, she would have to spend so much time explaining how and why she came to the island, she would never get a chance to tell Jonathan and the rest of the dragnet that they had a traitor in their midst. And who would believe her anyway? They would probably arrest her and lock her up for disrupting their operation. Either that or think she was a mental case. Except for Jonathan. He might believe her. She started to step forward out into the street then hesitated. She looked down the street and saw two men standing at the intersection. They looked to be talking but she saw that they kept a careful eye on the building. Sighing, she didn't know whether they were federal agents too or worked for Andre or perhaps were tourists. It was so difficult to know who was who down here without a score card. She decided to sit on her hands a while longer.

* * *

C.J. and Novelli walked just behind Antonio as they walked alongside the perimeter of the gate, staying just inside the jungle enough to give them cover.

"We're going to have to take out these guards pretty quickly," Andre told them.

"Tell us when," Novelli responded.

"It will have to be fast enough so that they can't radio for the others," Antonio said, "Just a little further."

C.J. and Novelli looked at each other and then followed him with the rest of their group. They had all walked in silence listening to the noises in the jungle, too busy setting their minds on alert for any unexpected developments. C.J. would explain no less from experienced mercenaries.

They walked towards where there was an entrance and Antonio walked out towards the gate after warning them to remain behind, out of view. C.J. watched Antonio pull out an electronic card and then when he appeared to be speaking into a radio. Soon enough, three guards came and began talking to them. Antonio gestured for the rest of them to come out of the jungle and move closer into position. One of the guards gestured into the direction of the compound and just then, Antonio grabbed his arm and spun him around before breaking his arm. The other guards reacted and the group in the jungle moved forward. C.J. and Novelli focused on trying to disable one of the guard who proved to be alert. Suddenly, he turned around and aimed a gun at them. C.J. and Novelli looked around for Antonio but he had pulled out a firearm and aimed it at them too.

C.J. and Novelli looked at each other, knowing that Antonio had just played his true hand.

* * *

Andre walked back into the room where Matt still sat where he left him.

"Would you like anything to drink," he asked. "I can ask the guards to bring you anything. I have a well stocked bar and wine cellar filled with some of the rarest vintages."

"I'm fine thank you," Matt said, dryly, "So was it good news or bad news this time?"

Andre looked at him for a moment.

"Scott won't be joining us for a while," he said, "He's run into some complications."

"Meaning he got captured," Matt guessed, "Not that it surprises me. He's never been all that smart."

"He was smart enough to fool you," Andre said, "But not C.J. He'll be with us soon enough."

"If the feds have him, you might as well let him go," Matt said, "I'm sure somewhere there's a prison cell waiting for him."

"You're right," Andre said, "But he won't be going to prison. I always have a contingency plan and with employees like Scott, it's assumed that it might be necessary."

"They'll have him well guarded," Matt said.

"Perhaps," he said, "But it won't be enough. My men will get to them. It's easy enough when you've got one inside."

Matt knew that Andre probably wasn't bluffing. After all, he had seen how effectively the trafficker had infiltrated the Department of Justice and done damage there.

"Yes, soon enough Scott will be joining you," Andre said, "and from what I understand C.J. is on her way here as well."

Matt's brows rose.

"Yes, it's true," Andre said, "and it won't take long for my men to apprehend her and bring her to me after properly disposing of your friends. She'll be out on a plane tonight towards her new life."

Andre leaned back in his chair waiting for Matt to react but he remained stonedly silent.

"I've got a few moments before the party starts," he said, "Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82---Hi, finally updated this one too! Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading and the feeback!

* * *

Scott looked back and forth at the two agents, Denton and Jonathon

"I know what you're doing you know," he said, "You're pulling the 'good cop, bad cop' routine."

Denton folded his arms and began pacing around the cramped room. Jonathan sat down in front of Scott who had resumed pulling at his sweat drenched collar.

"You just told us you would be a dead man if you told us anything," he said, "What did you mean by that?"

Scott sputtered.

"What do you think," he said, "Didn't you just hear what happened to my car?"

Denton leaned forward, sticking his face in Scott's.

"Yes, an innocent man was burned to a crisp because he crossed paths with you," Denton said, "Pretty soon, the Grim Reaper's not going to have anything on you."

Scott retreated.

"I'm not responsible for that man's death," he said, "You know who is and you are here right now harassing me over something I had nothing to do with."

Denton looked like he wanted to grab the recalcitrant attorney by the throat. He shook his head slightly at the other agent.

"We can protect you Scott," Jonathan cajoled, "if you agree to give us every bit of information you have on Andre Duval."

Scott blinked his eyes.

"No one can protect me from a man like that," he whimpered, "He's got reach everywhere in the world. He can get to anyone."

Jonathan smiled.

"He can't get to us."

Scott shook his head.

"He already has," he said, "Or or rumors of your former supervisor's being blown to kingdom come in D.C. greatly exaggerated?"

Jonathan's face grew somber.

"No they're not," he said, "but we've cleaned our department out of any traitors."

Scott harrumphed.

"So you think."

Jonathan and Denton looked at each other. Then Denton scowled impatiently.

"Enough of this song and dance," he said, "If you don't start spilling, I'm going to pick your sorry ass up and smack you against that wall over there."

Scott just stared at him and waited for it to happen, feeling like a dead man already.

* * *

C.J. and Novelli looked at each other and then at the guards and Andre who had their guns aimed at their group.

"Come along with us," Antonio directed.

C.J. folded her arms.

"No."

Antonio raised his brows and the others looked at her.

"You're to come with us," he said, "We have our guns and they're pointed right at you."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, "I'm staying right here."

The other two guards readied their guns to aim at her but she just stared back at them. Several years ago, she had been held captive on another unnamed island in uncharted waters and when Matt had tried to double cross Andre Duval's father, he had directed his guards to bring out C.J. and tie her up to be shot by his men. She had wanted so much as she stood there to close her eyes in anticipation of what was to come but she couldn't take her eyes off of Matt, who stood between two other soldiers who had grabbed his arms, forcing him to watch.

"They'll shoot you," Antonio said.

"No they won't," she said, "Andre wants me alive and if you kill the others, you won't get that because I won't let you."

Antonio couldn't hide his surprise.

"You mean you'd…"

C.J. nodded grimly.

"I told your boss that I wouldn't go back to him while I was still alive," she said, "I told him I'd die first before I would let him or anyone else touch me and I meant it."

"He's got your friend captive. I know you won't jeopardize his safety. If you died, there would be no more reason for Andre to keep him alive."

She folded her arms and stared at him.

"You're right about that," she said, "But if you bring me to Andre, he's dead anyway."

Novelli looked at Antonio and the guards.

"Look like she's got you there."

Antonio stepped closer.

"Stalling's not going to do you any good and it's not going to help him," he said, "So you might as well come along with us."

"I'm holding the cards here even though you have the guns and you know it," C.J. said.

"This is futile C.J.," he said, "We both know that."

C.J. thought not. She had no intentions of winding up being held prisoner by the man who had tried to enslave her before and she knew that the moment she stepped foot in Andre's compound as his captive again, that Andre would have Matt killed if he didn't do it himself. And most likely she would be forced to watch the life drain from his body before being forced back into the life she had escaped.

She shook her head.

"I'm not going with you and if you kill the others, I'll be dead too and then you'll have nothing," she said, "although you'll have to explain why you failed to bring me to Andre and he's not the forgiving kind."

Antonio swallowed silently, keeping the expression steady on his face.

"You're a resourceful woman," he said, "but it's useless to believe that it's going to save you…or him."

"It won't matter," she said.

"You can use your gift of persuasion to convince Andre to at least let your friend go," Antonio suggested, "You can't do that if you're dead."

She shook her head, remembering the worst night of all.

"I once let him use my body, hating myself so much, as much as I did him," she said, "I thought I could save a man's life but after he was done with me, he shot him to death in front of me."

Antonio whispered that man's name before he could stop himself. C.J. nodded and then looked away.

"He betrayed Andre," Antonio continued, shaking his head, "and had to pay the price for that."

C.J. ran her hand through her hair.

"If I could save Houston that way, I would do it," she said, "but I know better."

* * *

Matt sat and watched Andre pacing while on the phone. The door to the cell was open but two guards were stationed nearby in case he tried anything. So many times, the thought ran through his mind to jump up and grab Andre by the throat. During his training in the military, Matt had learned that you didn't need a weapon to kill a man. He had learned many different ways just with his body. Now he wanted to use them all against this man who sat across from him in a silk business suit which couldn't hide what he was underneath. Every time he felt the urge flow him like liquid heat to snap Andre's neck or break his nose, sending shards of bone like shrapnel into his brain, he had to rein his impulses in knowing that even if he had succeeded, he would not live long enough to know that he had. He would not know if it would save C.J. from the fate which awaited her at the compound. No, he had to sit tight, his brain working a hundred miles a minute to plan a way to bring Andre's reign of terror against his friend to an end.

Andre returned to the table and once again, Matt had to fight the urge to act. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands.

"Scott's about to go turncoat," he said, sitting back down as if it didn't bother him.

"Unlucky for you," Matt answered.

"Not really Mr. Houston," Andre said, "It fits into my plan perfectly. He will not live long after they take him out of that building and neither will anyone around him."

Matt widened his eyes.

"You have someone inside there don't you?"

Andre just looked at him and folded his hands on the table.

"Now why would I tell you that?"

Matt shrugged.

"Why not," he said, "Since you're so sure I won't get out of here alive."

Andre nodded.

"Yes that's true," he said, "I have men everywhere Mr. Houston. Just like my father did. You should know that by now."

Matt did know. After all, everywhere he had been since he had returned to L.A. into this nightmare, they had been there. Hell, even when he had been traveling the world with only the clothes on his back, they had been on the perimeter of his life, awaiting the moment that Andre would issue the order to kill him if C.J. hadn't done what was expected of her. His eyes closed, as he thought about the lack of choices she had in front of her, not willing to do anything that would bring him in harm's way. Choosing his life over her own desire to die instead of submitting to Andre's control.

"And no doubt she's on her way here to try to save you," Andre said, "as futile as that will be."

Matt knew that his capture most likely had changed the plan. He wondered where the others were and if they had remained under the radar of Andre's guns. And if they had figured out that with Antonio, nothing was as it seemed.

* * *

"You're a stubborn woman," Antonio said, "No wonder Andre prizes you so much."

She looked at him.

"He tried so hard to break me of that."

"Andre doesn't like meek women," he said, "unless he gets to make them that."

C.J. didn't doubt that but as she listened to Antonio, her mind was working.

"So what's Elena going to think about this turn of events," she said.

Antonio didn't look at her.

"I'm sticking to my original plan," he said, "When I leave, she'll be coming with me."

C.J. heard the conviction in her voice and then she understood.

"You're doing this to set her free."

Antonio set his jaw.

"I can't go into there without a bargaining chip," he said, "and you're it."

She nodded slowly.

"And the others?"

"They have no value alive," Antonio said, "He'll kill them straight off."

She stopped walking even though she felt the barrel of a gun on her back.

"And that doesn't bother you at all?"

Antonio shrugged.

"I've been a part of this world for longer than I care to remember," he said, "I know what I'm dealing with and I know what I have to do to get Elena out of there."

C.J. looked at him sideways.

"Like you couldn't with your other sister…"

Antonio's mouth wavered and he looked up.

"That is true," he said, "I didn't know how that this is all about bartering for what you want and that it's high stakes."

"He's not going to let you take Elena," she said.

"Why do you say that," he asked, his eyes brows lifting.

She tried to find the words and couldn't pin them down.

"Because there's something about Andre when it comes to her," C.J. said, "He's a cruel man who hates and resents women but he's different when he's around her."

"He bought her from her family when she was a little girl," Antonio countered, "Maybe he still sees her that way."

C.J. shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sure that's it," she said, "The other trafficker wanted her and Andre said no."

"That's true," Antonio conceded, "I don't understand that either but Andre's selling you to the trafficker and he needs to deliver you to him tonight."

C.J. folded her arms and looked directly at him.

"I'm not going," she said.

"If it will help Elena…"

C.J. felt torn at his words but something nagged at her, a feeling.

"It's not about that," she said, "It won't help set her free. Andre has his reasons for choosing me over her and it has to do with something else."

"This man is ruthless in his business," Antonio said, "He runs the syndicate in Eastern Europe."

"I know," C.J. said, and she did. She didn't know how but she felt it.

"You won't last long," Antonio said, "None of the women do even the ones he favors."

"I'm not going," she said, "I told you what my terms were and they're nonnegotiable."

She gave one more look at him and they continued walking towards the building that sprawled in front of them.

* * *

Elena walked into where she saw Andre talking with the young man that she knew was being held against his will. He had treated her nicely including the time when he and C.J. had been dressed as members of the local religious order and when he had been talking with her a while ago. She didn't understand Andre most of the time these days. He had always treated her with kindness ever since she first came to stay with him as a little girl. Yes, he had put her to work as a domestic and then later his personal assistant but she had spent her earliest years in a rural village in Ecuador used to working. He had never raised a hand against her or put one on her but he had lied to her about C.J. when she had been living at the other compound. Telling Elena that C.J. was his girlfriend when she had been her prisoner. Thinking back, she remembered the confusing nights when she had known that he had put drugs in the food and drink that was delivered to C.J. including the one night that she and another woman had to dress her. Because Andre had said someone was waiting to see her.

She knew that the nice man, Matt was not going to leave the compound alive and she didn't know how she knew this as fact but watching him now, she knew she had to help him save her.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Here's the latest update to this FF story. I hope you like it, thanks for reading and thanks for the comments!

* * *

Rhonda watched the building, carefully, knowing that inside it, Jonathan and the other federal agent were trying to break Scott Prescow. Not that she minded that, in fact she wished she could be inside there with them watching them tear him down. But she knew the two agents weren't in there alone because she knew that in the mix somewhere, was a traitor. A man wearing a business suit and carrying a badge identifying him as a federal agent when in fact, he worked for Andre Duval. But she sighed, because she had no idea which man was the plant and no idea how to reach Jonathan to tell him that another person might be planning to betray him or worse.

She crept up to the window which was partially shielded with blinds and found a crack that she could look through. She saw several men standing outside a room where several men were sitting around a table. Rhonda couldn't make out who they were, except that she knew one of them had to be Jonathan. Shifting her balance from one foot to another, she kept looking inside the building.

* * *

Inside the room, Scott looked up at the two agents and threw them another smug look. He knew if he told them anything about Andre or his operations, then he was as good as dead no matter how much protection the agents provided for him. He knew he would never live to testify against his boss. So he leaned back in his seat, tugged at his sweaty collar every once in a while and tried to will himself through the latest interrogation. Several times, he thought that Denton especially would clench his fist really tight and swing back, hitting him. But even though Jonathan acted congenially, Scott knew that he was the one to watch carefully because they shared a history. Both with C.J. and with Duval, years ago when the trio of them had been younger and living in Boston and the women hadn't known that he had hooked up with Duval at a party and had been working for him. Like Julia, Scott had come from old money. Whereas it was the oil industry that had made Julia's family rich, Scott's family had invested heavily in mining operations around the world. But even though he had never wanted for anything, had been given everything, plenty of toys for birthdays and under the tree at Christmas, the sports car at 16 and his own condo at 21, he still always felt like it just wasn't enough. He wanted more money and the power and status that it brought him and he believed that a young business entrepreneur like Duval could get him all of that faster.

When Scott had come out of hiding and had discovered what had nearly happened to C.J. and Julia, he had tried to shift the blame off of himself. He had returned to the apartment where the two women lived to explain himself, only to find out that the reception he received was not friendly. Oh, Julia had been upset with him over his absence but a few presents, a few soft words and it would be a matter of days before he won her back over into his good graces. But C.J., that was a whole different story. He sensed that she was his friend only because of his long friendship with Matt, his on and off relationship with Julia. Both of these people were close to C.J. and he constantly felt that she scrutinized him to make sure that he didn't do anything to hurt either one of them. Unlike the rest of their group, C.J. had grown up outside of wealth, living with her parents who died when she was young. After a brief stint in foster care, she had been farmed out to her only living relative, an uncle who only cared whether the new responsibility dumped in his midst could hold her own with the other hands on his ranch.

And it was C.J. who had answered the door and when she saw him, she nearly slammed it in his face but he blocked it with his hand.

"C.J. listen, I know this doesn't look good…"

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"It's more than how it looks Scott," she said, "You nearly got us killed last night."

He looked down at the floor, thinking of what to say next.

"It's not what you think," he said.

She folded her arms.

"And what are we supposed to think?"

He looked past her around the apartment.

"Where's Julia?"

C.J. sighed, not letting him in.

"She's asleep," she said, "We just barely escaped the fire and Julia's not been well lately…"

"She didn't want to go to the party last night," Scott said, "She only did it to make me happy."

"She called me last night to pick her up," C.J. said, "She said that you left her with some guys she didn't know. Guys that seemed to know you."

"You mean the South Americans," he said.

"I'm talking about the men who held three of us hostage while they were out looking for you."

Scott looked confused.

"Three, what do you mean?"

"I got a lift from the bartender," C.J. said, "If I knew what was ahead, I would have never accepted his offer."

"I didn't do what they say I did."

C.J. tilted her head.

"You mean you didn't steal some merchandise that belonged to them," she said, "Which from the looks of it must have been very valuable and probably illegal."

"It was…it doesn't matter," he said, "I didn't take it."

"This Andre…he seems to believe that you did."

"He's lying," Scott said, "He's a businessman, an importer."

C.J. shook her head.

"I can only imagine what he…imports," she said, "I'm guessing a lot of drugs."

"There's no reason to think that's the case," Scott insisted, "He's interested in antique furniture."

She shook her head again.

"Yeah right," she said, "Just stay away from us Scott. Both of us."

"I'm here to see Julia," Scott said, "You can't speak for her."

C.J. became upset.

"Scott, you almost got her killed," she said, "A bunch of men came by and Andre left with them but not before they set the fire to the house leaving us inside."

"Obviously you got out," he said.

"Yeah, obviously," she agreed, "Barely."

He stared at her.

"You don't like me," he said, "You never did."

She sighed.

"You're Matt's friend. You're occasionally Julia's boyfriend," she said, "You're not my friend."

"What would Matt say if he heard you say that?"

She looked directly at him.

"He might ask me why and then listen to me."

"You don't have to tell him about what happened," Scott said, "It's just a misunderstanding."

"It doesn't look like that to me Scott," she said, "You made me agree to something I never thought I would ever do."

He raised his brows.

"You mean you…," Scott said, "I thought he fancied you. He asked a lot of questions at the party."

Now she was confused.

"Who?"

"Andre."

She heard a noise behind her and saw that Julia had gotten out of bed, but still looked half asleep.

"Scott, what are you doing here," she asked.

"I'm here to tell you everything's all right."

"Those men at the party…they were looking for you last night.

Scott softened.

"I know baby but I'm back and everything's fine," he said.

Julia frowned.

"We could have died Scott," she said, "You left us."

"I was going to come back," he said, "I just got…delayed."

"Where were you that was so important," Julia said, "that you nearly got us killed?"

* * *

Scott blinked, bringing himself out of the past and back into the conference room where Jonathan and Denton were talking between themselves, their backs turned to him.

"I have nothing to tell you," he said, "unless you give me protection."

Jonathan approached him, folding his arms.

"What kind of information do you have that's worth foisting the costs of protecting you on the tax payers?"

Scott hesitated.

"I want a guarantee," he said, "that I'm not going to prison."

Denton approached him.

"We can't guarantee you anything," he said, "without hearing something from you that's worth relocating your sorry ass in the protection program."

Scott shook his head.

"If you put me in the program, he'll find me," he said, "just like he found everyone else."

Jonathan thought about that.

"We've got enough to charge you with some serious felonies," he said, "Kidnapping for the purpose of trafficking, sexual assault…"

Scott held up his hand.

"Wait a minute," he said, "I didn't do any of those things."

Jonathan didn't flinch.

"It doesn't matter," he said, "under the accomplice laws, you are responsible…that is unless we get information to get our hands on the major players in these crimes."

"Like Duval…"

Jonathan nodded.

"For starters," he said, "and then his benefactors and business associates as well."

Scott pulled at his collar again.

"That's a tall order," he said, "Just mentioning some of the names involved can get me killed."

"We'd ship what's left of your body to your next of kin," Jonathan said, "but you're going to have to give us more information if you want our help saving your miserable skin."

Scott appeared to think about it. Both men waited. Outside the conference room, one of the men picked up his cell phone and made a call.

* * *

C.J. walked in front of Antonio, knowing that the gun still aimed at her back even if she couldn't feel it. The others were silent behind as they walked back towards the compound. She looked straight ahead down the path, listening to the sounds of birds flying overhead and the chatter of monkeys in the trees. Antonio had very little to say at this point and C.J. knew that it was his love for his surviving sister that drove his actions, even his betrayal of her. She couldn't say that she wouldn't do the same in his circumstances yet the people she loved, she couldn't think of anything that would ever make her act against them. She tried to keep herself focused even as her muscles began to tense as she approached where Andre now stayed. Even knowing that she wasn't the same woman who had escaped from him months ago, didn't stem her fear of coming face to face again with the man who had imprisoned her.

"Why can't you let them go," she said, referring to the others.

"It doesn't work that way," Antonio said, "Besides I doubt they would leave you."

C.J. looked behind her at Novelli and the others and knew that to be true.

"Maybe if I can talk with him and make a deal to let them go," she said.

Antonio looked at her.

"You tried that before as I recall," he said.

She walked a moment in silence before speaking and they walked alongside each other.

"Yes I did," she said, "Years ago, when I first saw him…"

"And his father stopped him from doing what he had planned," Antonio said, "was left to clean up his mess."

"We were his mess," she said, "My friends and I."

He nodded.

"He talked about you a lot," he said, "before I knew who you were."

"Andre told me that when he came to me," she said, "When he told me I belonged to him now, before he…"

She looked away.

"He thought my sister, the other one, could take your place," he said, "but she escaped before he decided he wanted you instead."

She nodded, understanding at last.

"And he's a man who always gets what he wants."

She knew that too.

* * *

Matt looked up as the shadows began to fill his room. Andre had left to entertain his guests who had been arriving, but said that he would return to continue their discussion. During his time alone, he thought about C.J. and wondered if she and the others were on their way. He wished that instead she would leave the island and run away again, so she wouldn't be recaptured. But he realized that wasn't the life that she needed to live, to always be a fugitive of sorts looking over her shoulder.

She had been running for long enough already.

His mind wandered back to when they had taken off for a weekend to Cape Cod after her first year in law school had finished. Julia had gone home to Texas to start medical treatments for cancer and Scott had taken off on another global junket before heading off to another law school. When Matt had asked him why he left Harvard University, Scott had just laughed and said that he had needed a change of scenery. C.J. had planned to go back to Texas and help out her uncle on his ranch but then a great clerking job had come up with a local attorney that she had met during a job fair and she spent her days researching court cases and writing up briefs for the small firm. Matt had returned after another classified military assignment and had stopped by to check up on her. He had still remembered her somber mood at the party several months earlier and had been concerned knowing that clearly something had happened that he had missed.

They had spent the weekend mostly on the beach, or out on the water sailing as the cool breezes struck their faces. And the vacation had worked its magic on his best friend.

"This is really been great," C.J. said, as they walked hand in hand down the beach as the waves rolled in.

"I haven't seen you in a while and I missed that," Matt said, watching her closely.

She knew that he did that.

"I love my job clerking but it's been crazy," she said, "There's two civil trials back to back…"

"C.J., what's going on?"

She looked at him suddenly and he felt her wariness.

"What do you mean?"

He looked back out at the waves.

"I know Julia's illness has got you worried," he said, "And with Scott taking off…"

She bristled suddenly and the involuntary squeeze on his hand told him more than he knew her words would. He looked at her again.

"What's going on with you and Scott?"

She blinked her eyes and tried to smile.

"Nothing…he and Julia broke up and I think it's for good this time…"

He sighed.

"I'm not talking about him and Julia," he said, "I'm talking about you. Did he…"

"Did he what?"

"Say anything to you or do anything," he asked.

She hesitated and then smiled.

"He's your friend," she said.

"Yes he is," Matt said, "Is there any reason why he shouldn't be?"

Her face had been a sea of emotions then, swirling in ways that he was only beginning to see. Finally she shook her head and he knew for her, the subject had closed. The mask that he had grown familiar with the last several times he had seen her fell over her face again.

"Everything's fine Houston," she said, "I just want us to enjoy our time together before we have to get back to reality."

* * *

Matt thought about that conversation, understanding now that he had been missing something important that had happened while he had been heavily involved in his military intelligence work. And if he hadn't…maybe things would have been so different than they had turned out. He had always believed that their friendship had been tight and that they had shared everything with each other until the day came when he realized that she had not. That for some reason she had believed protecting his feelings had been more important than herself.

He looked up hearing the door open and he looked up expecting to see Duval again and he saw Elena. She smiled slightly in her evening gown as she approached him. She looked at the chair and he gestured at her to sit down so she did.

She gazed at him a while, as if trying to read him.

"What's wrong Elena," he asked.

She looked down at her hands, as if she couldn't look elsewhere.

"I knew what he was doing to her," she said, "I knew that she didn't want him to do those things and it didn't matter."

"Elena…"

She shook her head.

"And I helped him," she said, "I should have stopped him."

Matt sighed.

"There was nothing that you could have done then," he said, "But maybe now…"

She nodded her head resolutely and when he saw her eyes, he knew her decision had not come easily.

"I will help you now."


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84---The latest chapter of this ff story is up. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and for your feedback!

* * *

Matt nodded when Elena said she would help him, understanding fully that the decision didn't come easily for her. Her eyes looked sad even as her resolve appeared to be strong. But he also knew that if she didn't help him, then no one would be able to stop Andre. And Matt knew that tonight would be his only chance to do that, to stop what he had planned for C.J.

"What do you want me to do," Elena asked.

"I don't have a plan yet, so you need to keep your eyes and ears open but I have to get out of here before I can do anything."

Elena tilted her head.

"Are C.J. and the others coming with my brother?"

Matt hesitated, not knowing what to tell the young woman. How could he explain to her that her beloved brother that she had only just rediscovered had shown his true colors and had betrayed them? His heart sunk to the pit of his stomach because he didn't know if the others knew that the man who was leading them, Antonio, had proven to be a traitor. Had they discovered that he wasn't what he seemed or had they already been captured? Matt hoped not because he knew that Novelli and the mercenaries would likely be killed so that there would only be C.J. to bring back to Andre alive.

"We've got to stop him," Matt said instead of answering her question.

"Andre has many guards," Elena said, "and some of his guests are fully armed."

Matt ran his hand through his hair, thinking.

"I don't care," he said, "I promised C.J. she would be safe from him forever and I attend to deliver on that promise."

Elena smiled.

"You care so much for her," she said, "She does for you too and Andre, he must know that."

"He does," Matt said, "He used me to get her to comply with what he wanted and I never knew what was going on when I was out there traveling."

"He's far reaching," Elena said, "I handled phone calls from all over the world. I just never knew what real business involved. Maybe I should have realized it when I heard that man Piser talking to C.J. that last night."

"Piser played a large role in his operations beginning back several years ago in Bannon County, Arizona," Matt said, "That's how he knew C.J. Her testimony put him in prison but he got out."

"He started working with Andre about a year ago," Elena said, "I didn't trust him. I think he was after the business."

"He's dead now," Matt said, "and that means one less person to worry about."

"I know she killed him," Elena said, "but I also know it was self-defense."

Matt nodded, remembering the night C.J. had told him.

"His body ended up floating in the ocean," he said.

She looked up at him confused.

"That wasn't where he was supposed to be."

* * *

C.J. walked ahead of Antonio and then turned around to face him.

"I want you to let the others go," she said, folding her arms.

The other guards pointed their guns at her, until Antonio gestured at them to lower them.

"You know I can't do that."

"Why," she asked, "Andre doesn't want them. I'll go with you if you let them go."

He looked at her coldly.

"You'll go with me anyway."

She hesitated.

"But he doesn't need them," she said, "If he doesn't know that they came with me…"

"Nice try," Antonio said, "If I let them go, they'll go running for reinforcements."

"Who's going to help them," C.J. said, "Andre owns this island and probably everyone on it."

Antonio stared at her without blinking.

"The island's crawling with feds," he said, "They've been congregating in the village the past couple of days."

C.J.'s eyes widened.

"Yes, and Andre knows that they're here waiting for him to make a mistake," Antonio said.

"He's already made one."

"You mean Matt," Antonio said.

She didn't look back at him.

"He'll kill him as soon as I bring you in," he said, "If you're lucky, he'll give you a chance to say goodbye before he pulls the trigger."

She knew she couldn't let that happen.

"We'll see about that."

Antonio chuckled.

"See about what," he said, "He's the lucky one. You'll be picked up by your new owner, one of the most powerful traffickers in Eastern Europe and moved into one of his stables after he's finished with you."

While Antonio taunted her with what lay ahead, she closed him out, she shut out everything while her mind worked quickly to try to come up with a plan, to try to do the impossible. At least she had shown herself already that it could be done.

Antonio appeared to read her mind.

"This isn't going to be like in Washington," he said, "No slipping through the cracks. No men like Piser to screw up the security…"

She looked at him directly.

"I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."

He nodded.

"I know that you'll try," he said, "But you have to face reality C.J. This is how it's going to end, with his death and your return to slavery and I think you'll find that Andre at least was fond of you."

She gritted her teeth, remembering that. How it had began years before any of them had come to this uncharted island in the middle of the endless sea. When Julia had been alive, when she and Scott had still barely been friends and she had kept a secret hidden from her best friend. While Matt had been traveling the world to find the piece of him that he thought he had lost at the altar of his almost wedding, C.J. had been fighting each day and night to survive even when she didn't want to, when she believed it would be easier to just end it. Even when she had broken free, she had fought the current down the river that carried her away from her nightmare, pushing away thoughts that tempted her of how easy it would have been to slip away under the surface. The icy water stung her body where it had been cut or lacerated while she had broken through glass windows and through brambles in the woods that surrounded the compound that separated her from the river and those flashes of pain kept her going.

She shook her head both to the visions that filled it and to what Antonio was feeding her to try to weaken her resolve, to get her to surrender. He looked at her sharply.

"What are you thinking," he said, "What are you planning?"

She looked back at him.

"What do you care?"

"I don't," he said, "I'm just curious because I do know that you will try to get away from what's inside there. But I also know that you can't leave without him."

C.J. knew that she would never leave him trapped inside there. For her, there had never been a choice. She also knew she would do anything to set him free even if it meant giving up her own life.

"You're thinking of making Andre a deal," Antonio said, "You for your friend's life. But you should know by now, he doesn't make deals."

"His life is dependent on my going in that compound," she said, "So that's where I'm going."

Antonio nodded. C.J. looked around.

"Where are the others," she asked.

"With the other guards," he said, "You are not the only person with someone inside that building that you want to set free."

C.J. glanced up at him, startled.

* * *

Matt sat after Elena had left him alone again. He felt better knowing that she had agreed to help him although he knew that decision might exact its own cost. He wondered where C.J. and the others were now and whether or not they had been captured. He felt sure that if C.J. had been brought back to the compound that Andre would have come into the room and told him, if only to gloat about it.

Matt found himself thinking back to the years when they had all been younger, realizing that nothing had really been what it seemed. Rather than being a carefree rich kid who played at life, Scott had been working with not only a criminal but the son of Marquis Duval, Sr. That he had gotten Julia and C.J. tangled up in his mess, something which on one night had nearly cost them their lives along with the young man who would later be C.J.'s boyfriend and then her lifeline when she had called him for help after being unable to reach Matt.

He sighed realizing that his decision to take off around the world without leaving anyone any means to communicate with him or contact him had been an irresponsible one that had exacted a high cost in return. Not that he regretted his adventures or the people that he met and forged relationships with along the way, but he knew he would never completely forgive himself for not being there when C.J. desperately needed him, hours after climbing out of a river that had both saved her life and then nearly taken it. He wondered what he had been doing and where he had been when she had called for help and no one answered. Furrowing his brow, he thought that perhaps he had been in South America on a llama farm located at the foothills of the Andes. He knew now some of the places he had been and the people he had spent time with while Duval was using that information to force C.J. to do what he wanted after he got tired of using physical force against her.

The door opened and he looked up and saw Andre walking in, motioning two men armed with rifles to stay outside.

"I just received a radio that some of your mercenary friends have been apprehended by our troops just inside the perimeter," Andre said.

Matt's insides sank but he didn't show it.

"C.J. wasn't with them," Andre said, "But it's only a matter of time before we do find her."

"Maybe she didn't come with them."

Andre shook his head.

"We both know that's not true," he said, "She would never be sitting idly if she believed your life was in danger. After all, she kept you alive for weeks."

"So will I be seeing my friends?"

Andre paused.

"Perhaps," he said, "After the guests have all left, we will have a mass execution outside. With some of my best marksmen on the island, it shouldn't take long."

Matt set his jaw.

"You won't be doing it yourself," he said, "Just like your father, you leave the heavy work to the hired hands."

Andre frowned.

"I do on certain occasions do it myself," he said, "C.J. can attest to that herself."

Matt leaned back in his chair.

"Oh yes Mr. Houston," Andre said, "Though she tried to save this man's life although I'm not still not sure why. He was one of my soldiers."

Matt just looked at him, relying on his years of military training to control his emotions.

"It was the only time she offered herself to me," Andre said, "And I took it and her and then I killed him. I had to, because he betrayed me."

Matt ran his hand through his hair.

"Struck a nerve I see," Andre said, "We could of course change topics of discussion."

Matt nodded, thoughtfully.

"I have a question," he said, "How did your associate, Semour Piser, wind up in a box floating in the ocean?"

"You know who killed him."

"Yes I do," Matt said, "but C.J. ran away after she did it and left him on the floor…"

Andre nodded.

"He wasn't there when I returned," he said, "I flew back when I learned of her escape and Piser had disappeared."

"You don't keep very good track of your associates' whereabouts do you?"

Andre shrugged.

"Elena had told me that she had heard he was going to steal from me," he said, "She was concerned by some of the phone conversations she had overheard."

"So you thought Piser had taken off?"

"I wasn't worried about that," Andre said, "I had sent a couple of my top security men to kill him. The one, Antonio called me a month later and said it had been done. But I know she killed him first."

Matt's mind spun at that revelation because it made no sense. He knew who had killed Piser and that had been C.J. inside his office when he tried to block her escape. He also knew that she had left him there lying in a pool of his own blood on the floor and after a few words to a shocked Elena had run off. But if Piser was already dead, how could Antonio tell his boss later that he had taken care of it?

Andre noted his silence.

"Cat got your tongue, Houston?"

* * *

C.J. and Antonio kept walking.

"Where are the others going," she asked.

Antonio stopped when they came to a small shack. He punched a code on the door and it opened up, allowing them to walk inside.

"I'm not going in there with you," she said.

He grabbed her arm.

"You will if you want them to live," he said, "If you ever want to see him again."

Wordlessly she followed him inside.

* * *

Jonathan stared at Scott whose lower lip began to tremble as they along with Denton still sat inside the cramped conference room.

"Are you ready to talk," he asked.

Scott looked between him and Denton and nodded slightly.

"I will if you promise me protection," he said.

Denton folded his arms.

"We might promise you we'll go easy on the charges that you're already facing as an accomplice."

Scott's eyes widened.

"I'm not going to prison over this," he said, "am I?"

Jonathan shook his head.

"It doesn't look good right now," he said, "but what happens to you will depend on your level of cooperation."

Scott thought about that then paused for a moment before finally speaking.

"Duval called me about a year ago," he said, slowly.

Both men leaned forward because his voice had gone soft.

"About what," Jonathan asked.

"He wanted my help at helping him hide some money," he said, "or so I thought."

"You mean in Houston Enterprises?"

Scott nodded.

"I thought it would be easy enough to do," he said, "Murray, the top numbers guy was all caught up in his presidency and wasn't paying close attention to the line items."

Denton took out his notepad.

"And so you agreed to do this for Andre Duval?"

Scott rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Yes I did," he said, "And I did it very well but he wasn't satisfied with my work."

"What do you mean," Jonathan asked.

"He wanted me to get something else for him."

"What?"

"C.J. Parsons."

* * *

Outside Rhonda grew impatient and then she looked up and noticed two men, both dressed in dark suits talking by the dumpster on the side of the building. She tried to creep over there closer without making any noise. She recognized one of them she thought, the other she didn't.

"Are you ready to go," one said.

The one she recognized looked at him. But from where, she couldn't remember.

"As soon as they leave the building, we'll be ready."

Her eyes shot up as she wondered what the hell was going on. She had only been here what a few hours lost on some island and she had already stumbled into something serious, realizing that something was wrong with what these men were planning.

Suddenly, a door opened close to them and a woman popped her head out and told them to come back inside.

The two men walked back inside the building leaving Rhonda alone with her thoughts and the sense that something dreadful was about to happen.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85---I updated this story again. I hope you like it, thanks for reading and your patience and your feedback!

* * *

Rhonda stood by the side of the building, trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, she heard a ringing noise. She looked around for it and then realized it was her cell phone. She fished it out and saw that it was Chris. Walking away, she tried to figure out how she was going to sum up everything to her friend back home miles away.

"Chris, why you calling me?"

"Well hello to you two," Chris said, "I got a little worried when I didn't hear from you."

"It's only been several hours," Rhonda protested, "but it's already been eventful."

"What's going on?"

"I followed Scott off the plane and someone met him but then all these men in suits surrounded them and took him inside some building."

"Is it the authorities do you think," Chris asked.

"Jonathan's here and so is that FBI agent who's always hanging around him."

"Have you seen Matt or C.J.?"

"No," Rhonda said, "Haven't heard about them though I would guess they're somewhere on this island."

"Have they gotten anything out of that weasel Scott?"

Rhonda looked over at the building.

"I wouldn't know," she said, "I'm outside and I still don't know which one of them is a traitor."

"Well someone's got to find out before they find out the hard way."

Rhonda sighed.

"I wish you guys were here."

"You're not even supposed to be there Rhonda," Chris said, "I don't want to hear that anything bad has happened to you."

"I'll be all right Chris," she said, "Really, I'm fine."

"Maybe …"

Rhonda shut off her phone and stuffed it in her pocket after she saw several more men that she didn't recognize congregating in front of the building.

Chris was left on the other end of the line, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

Jonathan and Denton looked back at Scott who had finally begun to talk after months of dodging them and their questions. They didn't know whether or not he was coming clean with them about his business relationship with Duval but at least now they had information to cross check. Still, Scott proved to be more than a bit cagey so the two men had to tread cautiously even though Jonathan wanted to smack Scott against the wall more than once.

Scott had asked for something to eat and they had fed him with some local fare. While watching him eat, Jonathan had thought back to when he had first heard of him years ago. The price that had been paid by his friends, and him as well had left no mark on the man sitting in front of him. The same one who had no doubt willingly sold them out years later as well to save his own skin. Because after all, he still owed Duval and no Duval had ever left a debt owned him uncollected.

Jonathan had left for a few minutes to confer with Brad out in the hallway about what to ask Scott next. So when he came back into the conference room, he proceeded forward, after telling Denton he would take the lead. The FBI agent had just shrugged.

They started with the financial questions.

"So after you used Houston Enterprises to funnel some of Duval's money," Jonathan started.

"Actually we were going to use the women's foundation but I told him that would attract too much suspicion."

Jonathan turned towards Denton.

"So that's why Homeland Security flagged his company," he said, "because at least two of the Duvals have already been known as terrorists for years so they'd still be on every watch list."

"The money came from some account in the Caribbean through Miami into Houston," Scott said.

Jonathan sighed.

"I think that's when the FBI got called in," he said, "and they looked into the company to see who could help them."

Scott smirked.

"That was C.J. of course," he said, "She was working for them and once Duval figured that out, it was only a matter of time before he used that to his own advantage."

"So you helped him," Jonathan said.

Scott paused for a moment and then pulled at his collar again and once again, Jonathan had to keep himself from reaching out and strangling him.

"You told Duval about the investigation didn't you?"

Scott shook his head.

"As it turned out, I didn't have to," he said, "As you have learned through experience, Duval has people all over those federal agencies."

Jonathan knew that much so Scott's revelation didn't surprise him.

"He had one on the investigation that would lead back to him," he said.

"Of course," Scott said, "He had to find a way to keep the feds distracted while he came for what he really wanted."

"So who set her up that night?"

Scott furrowed his brow and for a moment, Jonathan thought maybe the attorney didn't know the answer to that question then he smiled slowly.

"One of his own men made the phone call," he said, "There never was a source who wanted to come clean. He was concocted as bait."

Jonathan sighed.

"So when did you sign up for all this," he said, "When did you tell Duval you'd help him by selling out a friend?"

Scott smiled again.

"The night of Matt's wedding rehearsal," he said, "It was set up to take place while Matt was away on his honeymoon. But as we both know, the wedding never took place but when he decided he needed to go find himself, that worked even better."

Jonathan clenched his fists beneath the conference table.

"She was your friend," he said, "How could you involve yourself in this?"

Denton looked over at him to see if he could control himself and Jonathan nodded back. Scott looked at the both of them carefully.

"We were never really friends," Scott said, "I think she just tolerated me because I was good friends with Matt."

"Did Matt ever suspect that she didn't trust you?"

Scott shrugged.

"Maybe," he said, "but he still hired me back. He's always been a great friend to me but C.J. I think she hated me…"

Jonathan harrumphed.

"Not without good reason as it turned out."

Scott clenched his fists and slammed them on the table.

"I had no choice in the matter anyway," he said, "if I hadn't gone along with it, Duval would have had me killed."

Denton grunted.

"The day's still young," he said, "He might do that anyway."

He turned to Jonathan.

"We might just have to protect this lowlife after all."

All Jonathan wanted to do at that point was save Duval the trouble and do the job himself.

* * *

C.J. blinked her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit shack. She looked up at Antonio who still had her by the arm.

"What do you want," she said, "A piece of me before you hand me over?"

He just looked at her.

"You can't give me what I want," she continued, "and that's Houston's life."

He released his hold on her.

"He's a dead man," Antonio said, "As soon as you set foot in that compound."

"Then why delay it," she said, "Why bring me here instead?"

He paused in a way she had rarely seen him do. She raised her brows.

"I need you to get my sister back," he said, "If you don't show up, the trafficker may change the deal with Andre and take her instead."

C.J. felt her heart sink at his words.

"Andre won't let that happen."

"He won't have a choice," Antonio said, sharply, "He's not holding the cards in this transaction."

"I see that," C.J. said, "but this is a moot issue since you've betrayed us and are taking me to him."

He sighed.

"You know what will happen to you if I do."

She closed her eyes, willing it out of her mind.

"Of course I do," she said, sitting down on a worn chair, "But I will have a much better chance of surviving longer than Elena will. She's just starting out her life and she's never had what she deserves."

He sat down too.

"No she hasn't," he said, "I wanted to change that for her, to give her everything."

"She just wants her brother."

Antonio nodded.

"What do you want?"

She had to stem the flow of her feelings before they overwhelmed her.

"My life back," she said, "with Houston and my friends, before this nightmare happened but I know I can't go back. I'm not that person I used to be anymore."

"But your friends, would they care," Antonio said, "I knew Houston wouldn't."

She looked away.

"He's being held captive by Andre who's going to kill him as soon as he gets what he wants," C.J. said, "And that's because of me."

"If you could set him free, what would you do?"

She bit her lip.

"I'd walk away," she said, "Taking care of Andre wouldn't take care of this other trafficker. I would never be able to live without looking over my shoulder."

"What about Houston?"

"I can't drag him into that," she said, "I've done enough already."

"And you'd walk away, just like that."

She looked away.

"That's the way it has to be."

* * *

Matt looked at Andre for a while before answering his question.

"No, I was just trying to figure out how a man could have died twice."

Andre looked at him, with puzzlement in his eyes before he smiled.

"Ah, yes well Antonio has been playing both sides for a while now," he said, "and I've got a surprise waiting for him tonight as well."

Matt looked surprised.

"I am well aware that he spent time with you and that band of mercenaries," Andre said, "before you all arrived here."

"He was working for you all along," Matt said, "or else I wouldn't be here right now."

Andre nodded.

"All men have weaknesses Mr. Houston," he said, "And Antonio has his as well."

"What's yours?"

Andre laughed.

"Nice try Mr. Houston," he said, "but I'm the exception to that rule."

"I've learned that there are few if any exceptions to that rule," Matt countered.

"That's because it's pretty clear what your weakness is," Andre said, "or who."

Matt stared at him.

"I hope that she's gotten away," he said.

"It won't matter," Andre said, "It's a small island. My men will find her if they haven't already."

* * *

C.J. looked around the shack. It looked cramped even though it was sparsely furnished. A faint smell of mildew reached her nose.

"So how long do you plan on staying here?"

Antonio looked at his watch.

"Not much longer," he said, "I wouldn't think you would be in such a hurry seeing as how they're going to kill your friends when I bring you in."

She shrugged.

"They're dead anyway," she said, "There's nothing I can do about that."

He looked at her intently.

"I thought you would be begging me not to take you to him."

"I'm done begging," she said, "I begged Andre not to kill that man, I even let him have me without fighting him but it didn't change things."

He nodded and then stood up to talk on his radio. As he did, something in the corner caught C.J.'s eye. He took the radio out of his pocket and spoke into it and she could hear voices hidden in static respond in kind.

A memory hit her of her and Matt dancing in some reception hall years ago, her face resting against his chest. She couldn't quite place where they had been but she knew that they had been happy and she remembered the strength of his arms around her and the scent of his aftershave.

She kept her eye on Antonio while she slowly got up and crept towards the corner. Antonio's back remained facing her. She picked up what turned out to be a metal shovel that had been left there and crept slowly towards him. At her last remaining step to bridge the distance between them, he might have sensed her coming because he turned around just as she swung the shovel and hit him.

* * *

Andre looked up at Matt as both of them heard activity in the hallway and Andre left him to go talk with his guards. Matt sighed, realizing that most likely he had received news that his friends had been captured and brought to the compound. And when Andre returned to the room, he knew that he had been correct.

"Your friends have just arrived," Andre said, "They won't be joining you…yet. But they will be made comfortable while they are waiting."

"What about C.J.?"

Andre smiled.

"She wasn't with them," he said, "but she will be joining us soon enough. Antonio has her in his custody."

Matt closed his eyes. Well at least they would all be under the same roof soon and that might make implementing a plan of attack both easier and harder.

"I would think that you would be happy that your friends will be joining you," Andre said, "No man should die alone not even from a firing squad."

Matt set his jaw firmly. He had no plans of dying anytime soon and that went for his friends as well.

"That's very sporting of you," he said, instead.

"I'll make sure C.J. is there and has a good seat," Andre said, "It will give her something to remember you by before she goes on her own journey."

Matt was just as determined to stop that from happening as well.

* * *

Antonio looked startled, as blood dripped from somewhere on his head and then somehow he sprung on his feet looking for his gun. C.J. saw it had fallen near the chair and she sprung for it. As she did, he grabbed her leg and she crashed to the floor beside him. And so that's how the battle between them for the gun began and her life had begun.

* * *

Jonathan tugged at his own shirt which was drenched in sweat after taking a break from interrogating Scott. He had to get away from the lowlife for a brief period or else he would surely throttle him. He grabbed a bottle of water and stepped outside to take in the coolness of the early evening. Suddenly, he looked up and saw her in the distance and he thought his eyes misled him. Until she saw him looking at her and rushed over.

"Rhonda, what the hell are you doing here," he said, sounding angry.

She looked him over and decided to ignore his words.

"Shut up," she said, "I've got something really important to tell you."


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86---Another update to this ongoing very long story. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and the comments!

* * *

Rhonda took a deep breath as she looked into Jonathan's irate face.

"What is it," he demanded again.

She reined in both her fear and her impatience to speak.

"Someone's about to betray you."

He folded his arms.

"All right explain that," he said, "I have to get back inside pretty soon."

"You're interrogating Scott aren't you?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"We're been trying to," he said, "but we made a breakthrough."

"He admitted everything?"

"Some of it," he said, "We'll get the rest."

She digested that.

"Then they'll kill him."

He furrowed his brow, looking at her.

"What do you mean," he asked, "and I want all of it."

"Someone's not who you think they are," she said, "Someone's…"

The door opened and a man's voice yelled out. They both looked up and saw Brad standing there, gesturing with his hand.

"The subject's remembered more information," he said.

Jonathan put his hands on Rhonda's shoulder.

"Don't go anywhere," he said, "We need to talk more about this."

She nodded.

"I don't give a damn about Scott," she said, "But I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

He listened to the earnestness in her voice and he reached his hand and pushed a sweaty tendril of hair off of her face.

"It's going to be all right," he said, "We should be done here soon."

With that, he turned and walked back towards Brad and both men disappeared inside the building again. She went to an area beneath a tree and sat and waited.

* * *

C.J. reached for the gun lying on the ground near Antonio but he beat her to it, grabbing her and pinning her down to the ground. Her mind flashed and she saw Andre there instead as he had been that first night. The hint of cologne hit her as his hands had torn at her shirt, sending the rest of the buttons spilling across the cold floor. She had struggled beneath him as he reached for the buttons on her pants with one hand while pinning her neck down with the other. Her face still smarted from where he had hit her when she had refused to undress for him but she paid it no mind as she tried to strike at him with her hands to get him off of her.

"Struggle if you must," he had said, "it won't matter. I've waited a long time for this night."

She blinked and it was Antonio telling her that it was useless to fight him. This time, she knew she could stop him if she found a way to leverage her body strength against him. He had taught her that. So she pushed against him to gain an advantage, while keeping her eye on the gun. He wrestled back but she finally gave one push with the anger that suddenly filled her as memories from another night had rushed back. He fell over on his back and she climbed over him to grab the gun. He tried to push her off and knock it out of her reach.

"This is useless, C.J."

She spit in his face at that and kept fighting. For something much more than her life.

* * *

"He fancied her for a long time," Scott told Jonathan and Denton, "It goes way back, an obsession that he has had for years."

Denton looked over at Jonathan who nodded slowly.

"Back to the night years ago when we all ran into each other," he said.

Scott smirked and Jonathan struggled to remain on his side of the table.

"Before that actually," he said, "C.J. didn't go to many parties. She wasn't much fun actually. But she did go to one when Andre first arrived in Boston."

Scott remembered back to that night when he and Julia had been invited to attend the soiree along with much of the younger generation of Boston's higher society. This social circle didn't particularly welcome outsiders but he had received a special invite from one of the law students in his Evidence class. It hadn't taken much sweet talking to get Julia to go with him and she had spent the better part of the week cajoling C.J. to take a break from the books and come along with them. She had gone with them in a festive mood because she had just received one of her rare phone calls from Matt who had just returned from another covert mission for the army. She had worn a blue cocktail dress and worn her hair relaxed around her shoulders the way she liked. After they arrived, Scott had hooked up with a man who had started an importing business in South America and his partner, who were looking for employees. The earnings quoted by the men had immediately perked up Scott's interest and then the conversation had turned to other things.

"Andre saw her across the room talking to a young man and asked who she was," Scott said, "and if she had come to the party with me."

"What did you tell him," Jonathan asked.

Scott scoffed.

"That she was not my kind of woman," he said, "and that she had only tagged along with her friend."

Jonathan paused.

"But he saw something he liked when he looked at her didn't he?"

Andre hadn't said much about C.J. but Scott noticed that he had watched her the entire evening. Frankly, he didn't understand his interest in a woman who spent most of her time in the law library when she wasn't working at the restaurant.

"Did he ever approach her?"

Scott looked up at Jonathan and shook his head.

"He left the party later with another woman," he said, "They flocked around him like bees. Women have always been attracted to him and he obviously came from wealth."

"He was the illegitimate son of a notorious terrorist," Jonathan said.

Scott shrugged.

"He hid that well," he said, "Although there were rumors that he had a more violent side."

Jonathan hardly doubted that, given that Andre trafficked women into prostitution worldwide and hired an assortment of hit men to eliminate both his competition and anyone who got in his way.

"You mean he raped women?"

Scott pretended to look shocked.

"No one ever complained."

"They wouldn't," Jonathan said, "We both know that crimes committed in upper society often get swept beneath the rug."

Scott chuckled while shaking his head.

"If you say so."

"You find this funny Scott," Jonathan said, "There are four unsolved murders of young women in Boston during the time he passed through there. All brunettes who resemble C.J."

"They could have been killed by anyone," Scott said, "Boston's a dangerous place I've heard."

* * *

Matt noticed that his room had gotten even darker, with only a small light glowing in the corner. Night must be coming to Sapphire Island with Andre's party in full swing not far away. He could hear the faint sounds of music coming from some direction. He rubbed his eyes, trying to plan his next actions. If his friends were on their way here to join him, so much the better. As for C.J., Matt knew that by now she had realized Antonio had betrayed them. He also knew her to be very smart and resourceful, so Antonio would have his hands full with keeping her under control. And in the past few months, he had seen a resolve in her that had kept her alive through a nightmare that she would die before repeating.

The door opened and once again, Andre was back though this time two guards brought in a man who Matt recognized as his buddy Novelli.

"I brought you a roommate," he said, "The man who helped you bring down my father. I thought it fitting that you spend your last few hours together."

Matt looked up at Novelli who looked around the room like the ex-cop he was.

"This will do," Novelli said, "We have some catching up to do."

Andre looked at both of them.

"My father would love to see this day," he said.

Novelli shrugged.

"I'm not so sure about that," he said, "It hasn't ended yet."

"It will soon enough for the two of you," Andre countered, "and your friends."

He and the guards left the two men alone.

"Where's C.J.," Matt asked, "What happened?"

Novelli winced as he sat down.

"Antonio turned traitor on us," Novelli said, "But you must know that because you're here."

Matt nodded.

"He and other men ambushed me at the meeting place."

"Then it was all a trap," Novelli said, "Although I would guess C.J. was their original target."

"Antonio's not brought here yet," Matt said, "Maybe he's playing an angle we don't know about."

Vince scratched his jaw.

"It might have to do with his sister."

Matt nodded.

"She's going to help us."

"That's great news," Novelli said, "She must know a lot about this place."

"She does," Matt said, "But I couldn't tell her about her brother."

Novelli sighed.

"There's no easy way to do that," he said, "She loves him and I do believe he cares deeply for her."

"I wished she'd gotten away," Matt said, meaning C.J.

"I know, but she would never run away if you were in trouble," Novelli said, "Andre must know that."

"He does," Matt said, "He threatened to kill me if she didn't go along with what he had planned for her."

Novelli tilted his head.

"How could he do that," he said, "No one else knew where you were when you took off."

"He had his men following me," Matt said, "Wherever I went and sending pictures back to show to C.J."

"Son of a gun," Novelli said, "He's powerful enough to do that."

"He's powerful enough to do anything," Matt said, "but not for much longer."

"So what's the plan?"

"To get out of here and find the others."

* * *

C.J. tried to reach for the gun again. Antonio was powerfully built, similar to Andre and bigger than she was but she fought as if it made no difference.

"Stop fighting," he gasped, "It's useless C.J."

She slammed him in the ribs for saying that and kept trying to reach the gun and wound up on top of him, wiggling her body to reach the weapon lying next to him. He tried to push her off but this time she kept going. Her fingers touched it and then another slight push, and they wrapped around the cold metal. She then rolled off of him and sprung to her feet. She extended the gun at him, her finger on the trigger.

"Get up, now!"

He looked at her.

"You won't pull the trigger."

She did and hit the spot on the ground a couple inches away from his face.

"I'm a marksman and I won't miss next time."

He looked at her and then slowly began to get up to his feet.

* * *

Scott kept talking to Jonathan and Denton, about his past associations with Andre Duval including when he had first started working for him handling drug dealing on the lower rungs of Andre's fledgling operations.

"I started out like you do in most businesses," Scott reminisced, "in sales."

"Then you moved up," Jonathan asked.

"It didn't take long for Andre to be impressed enough with me to assign me to supervise his dealers in Boston."

"Which means you handled a large supply of drugs and cash."

Scott nodded.

"But then I started getting concerned."

Jonathan and Denton looked at each other.

"Why?"

"Julia began to get suspicious because I had to cancel on her a few times," Scott said, "I think she thought it was another woman."

"What about C.J.?"

He rolled his eyes back.

"She was suspicious of me for other reasons," he said, "She…we were at odds when Matt took off in the military. She supported him and I thought it was a waste of his athletic talents."

Matt had been a star football player at university and had been scouted heavily by several professional teams. He had opted out of his athletic career to join the military once he graduated.

"There was a disk at some point…"

Scott nodded.

"I was just getting to that point," he said, "I kept…records to protect myself. You have to in that line of work you know."

Jonathan looked at him.

"I'll take your word for it," he said, "Then Andre found out what you were doing didn't he?"

"In a matter of speaking," Scott said, casually, "He thought I was trying to take over his business but I was just…"

"Keeping your own records," Denton chimed in, "Right…"

"So that's why you disappeared at the party that night," Jonathan said, "Because you were afraid he'd come after you for the disk."

Scott's eyes flitted left and right.

"I didn't disappear," he said, "I was predisposed."

Jonathan shot him a pithy look but continued.

"So you were…predisposed and Andre and his gang used Julia as collateral," he said, "before they had her call C.J."

Scott frowned.

"She called C.J. to give her a ride from the way I understand it."

Jonathan felt his patience slipping.

"I was that ride," he said, "and it nearly cost me my life."

Scott just looked at him.

"That's hardly my fault," he said, "I had no knowledge of what had happened."

Jonathan stared directly at him.

"Where were you Scott," he said.

Scott just looked at him without answering.

* * *

C.J. pointed the gun at Antonio after he got up on his feet.

"If you take one wrong step, I'll shoot you faster than you can blink."

He looked at her and saw the determination in her eyes.

"C.J…"

"Don't you dare," she said, "You're going to do exactly as I tell you."

"You can't save him," Antonio said, "Andre's going to kill him and the others."

Her aim didn't waver.

"Not if I can stop him."

Antonio shook his head.

"Like you could that night?"

She struggled to keep the gun from moving as his words sunk inside of her.

"I heard your screams through the wall for him to stop," Antonio said, "Then they stopped."

Her eyes hardened.

"It's going to be different," she said, "I'm going in to kill him. That's the only way I can free my friends."

She gestured him towards the door.

"It's been nice here," she said, "But it's time to get moving. Remember what I said."

He did and walked towards the door as she followed him carefully watching every move, every flinching of his muscles.

* * *

Matt and Novelli sat and tried to formulate a plan to escape from their cell. Both had cased it again to see if there were any weaknesses but found none.

"It would help if we knew where the others were," Novelli said, "They took us in different directions."

"We're not going to be in the same place until they take us out and kill us."

They heard the door open again and a woman's voice talking to the guards. Elena walked in carrying a tray with some food on it.

"It's from the party," she said, "I filled the plates myself."

Sure enough, the food looked impressive and very delicious. Neither man was really hungry but they thanked her.

"It's not just the food," she said, quietly as she left them as quickly as she came.

Matt looked and rolled up in the napkin were two rather impressive looking blades. Novelli looked at them, impressed.

"Now we're in business."


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87---Here's the latest update to this FF. Thanks for reading and the feedback and hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Jonathan took a break from interrogating Scott, something he felt he needed to do to retain the tenuous hold he had on his self control at that point. He walked out in the hallway, thinking about what Rhonda had told him. He had been upset that she had come to the island and didn't even want to know the details of her journey but underneath all that, realized that she had cared enough to try to warn him of a traitor in their midst. The task force was fairly small in membership and everyone had been vetted by the participating agencies before their assignments but had one of them slipped through the cracks? And if so, who?

Brad walked up to him and slipped him a folder. Jonathan opened it up.

"Is that what was faxed over about Scott Prescow," he asked.

Brad nodded.

"It's a thin record I'm afraid boss," he said, "but it does include a traffic stop that was done of him in Boston…and some contacts he had in South America while he was backpacking down there."

Jonathan lifted his brows. Backpacking? Somehow he didn't picture Scott as the roughing it and getting down to nature type.

"Any idea who he met with?"

"Your guess is as good as mine boss," Brad said.

Jonathan looked at the Marshall and hesitated.

"What's wrong boss," the younger man asked.

Jonathan started to say something but shook his head.

"Nothing…," he said, "Just keep your eyes open for any sign of trouble."

"Trouble," Brad said, "Meaning what? Is Andre Duval going to launch an offensive against us?'

"Not until his party is over," Jonathan said, "He apparently prides himself on being a good host so we're probably fine until then."

Brad nodded and then started to leave.

"I'll keep an eye out boss," he said, "for anything that comes up."

He left and Jonathan returned to the interrogation room.

* * *

C.J. still kept her gun aimed at Antonio.

"Where are we going," he asked.

"Where do you think?"

He heard the steely determination in her voice and knew better to argue with her especially since she now held his own gun on him.

"They'll kill you before they let you get close to him," he said.

"Not if they don't see it coming," she said, "I'm worth something to Andre to pay off a debt. You on the other hand aren't worth anything since you can be easily replaced."

"Do you hate me so much?"

Her arm didn't waver.

"You're not worth hating," she said, "You're a man who plays two sides against each other and that skill will come in handy for me."

"What do you mean?"

She shook her head.

"That's for my knowledge not yours," she said, "I have to find something you're useful for besides betrayal."

"I could still help you…"

She sighed.

"Give it a rest," she said, "You're trying my patience Antonio and if you keep doing so, I might decide you're dead weight."

He looked in her eyes and in them, saw a killer.

"You really would do it," he said, watching her closely.

"If I needed to do so, yes I would," she said, "but right now you're worth more alive than dead."

"What made you become this way," he asked as they continued walking.

He thought that his question might make her hesitate but she answered him quickly enough.

"You ask too many questions," she said, "Just keep walking."

* * *

Matt and Novelli pocketed the blades that Elena had hidden on their food tray and began trying to work on a strategy for getting out of their cell. Matt had told his friend that there were no obvious breaches or other weaknesses in its design.

"We'll have to find another way," Novelli said, nodding, "Lure a couple of the guards in here."

"They're highly trained and are expecting anything," Matt said, "They're might be a point when we're all together before they kill us."

"There's strength in numbers if they don't tie us up first," Novelli said, "If that happens, it's going to be harder."

Matt nodded.

"Then maybe we'd better act earlier," he said, "I wish we knew where they took the others."

"Elena would know," Novelli said.

"I don't want to involve her any more than we have to," Matt said, "She's just a young girl."

"Who slipped us a couple of weapons with our dinner," Novelli reminded him.

Matt smiled despite himself.

"You've got a point."

"We need all the help we can get," Novelli said, "You really got us in a tough situation."

"I wonder why Antonio hasn't shown up."

"He took C.J. away from the rest of us a while before the rest of us were brought here."

Matt thought about that and wondered what Antonio's angle was in all this and he kept returning to Elena. Despite his treacherous behavior, Matt did believe that the man cared deeply for her. Enough to sell anyone else out including C.J. Matt guessed his plan included going back to the compound and swapping C.J. for Elena, which puzzled Matt because he wasn't sure Andre was holding Elena against her will. She had spent most of her years growing up with Andre and away from her own family who had sold her to him. And as far as Matt guessed, Andre had never mistreated her. Oh he had turned her into a domestic servant when she was a child but she now worked as his personal assistant without complaint. But she had agreed to help him escape and had even brought weapons to him and Novelli to help them do that.

"I have a feeling they'll both be here soon enough," Matt said, "I really wish C.J. had gotten away."

Novelli sighed.

"And we both know she can't do that," he said, "In some ways, she's as much a prisoner of Andre as she was when he held her captive."

Matt nodded, knowing that his friend spoke the truth. Even months away from having escaped from Andre, his best friend had never returned to him. In her place, was someone new that had hidden most of her emotions to survive and had yet to feel comfortable in her own skin. And whether she had realized it or not, she was still running away, trying to escape. He had been in her shoes in his life a time or two and it had been her words and her actions which had kept him grounded and had brought him back. She had believed in him even when he doubted himself and had done so freely without being asked because she loved him. She had told him so when she had been bleeding from a bullet wound and had tried to hide it from him to save his own life even if it cost her own life. He knew that part of her would be keeping her from fleeing her own nightmare. Even as she knew Andre had used her own feelings against her, to further strengthen the chains which kept her imprisoned.

"Matt, we're going to have to move pretty soon," Novelli said, "if they come for us soon."

"They're going to wait until Antonio brings them C.J.," Matt said, "to hand off to that trafficker."

Novelli heard anger and fear in his friends voice intermeshed with resolve not to allow that to happen. The odds had been against them many times before, sometimes overwhelmingly so. They had always surmounted them and turned the tables on their adversaries and Novelli knew that this time would prove to be no different.

"We're not going to let that happen," Novelli said, "We're going to get out of here."

* * *

Jonathan looked at Scott sitting across from him who looked somewhat less smug than he had looked when he first arrived. That made him feel better but not much.

"So Scott, you worked for Andre in Boston for how long?"

Scott looked at his fingers.

"Is that an answer?"

Scott put his hands down and stared at Jonathan.

"Until I transferred to another school," he said, "Which was after my first year of law school."

"You had to get out of Boston because you were getting some heat," Jonathan guessed.

"You could say that I needed a change of scenery, yes."

"You still had something that Andre wanted from you," Jonathan asked.

"You mean the disk," Scott said, nodding, "I hid it in a safe place but it turned up missing."

Jonathan folded his arms.

"A likely story," he said.

Scott protested.

"I'm telling the truth," he said, "I don't know where it went."

"Relax Scott," Denton said, "Because we do."

That surprised the lawyer.

"You do," he said, "Where did you find it, because I looked all over."

"That's not important," Jonathan said, "We're asking the questions here."

Scott sunk in his chair again.

"So ask me a question," he said finally.

Jonathan looked at Denton who nodded.

"When you hooked up with Andre again, did he mention a Semour Piser?"

Scott hesitated.

"Yes, Semour came to work for him about a year ago," he said, "He got a get out of jail free card."

"We know that," Denton said, "Did you have any contact with him?"

Scott shook his head.

"No I only saw him once or twice," he said, "I heard he turned up dead."

"His body was retrieved after it washed ashore near the Washington compound," Jonathan said.

"I also heard that C.J. killed him escaping," Scott said, "I never thought that the honor student who graduated from Harvard School of Law had a homicidal streak inside her."

* * *

C.J. and Antonio kept walking outside the compound. She thought she saw a gate ahead, through the darkness. Her heart sank and her skin tingled as she tried to stay focused. The building ahead appeared no different than the one she had escaped from some months ago. She wondered what it looked like inside. Was the floor plan the same as the one in Washington state? She hoped so, but mainly she tried to keep her mind from going back to the past.

She sat at the edge of the bed, gathering the sheets around her while Andre paced around the space in front of her. She kept her head down so he couldn't see the tears which had streaked down her face, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. But her eyes still followed him. Most women would look at him and call him magnificent in his build and his looks, but C.J. knew better. She had heard the guards talk about how he had a flock of women surround him wherever he went to socialize but that he hardly seemed interested in any of them for more than a night. She wondered if these women saw the side of him that she did each night he came for her. If so, surely one of them would talk about it and warn any others.

"If you'd stop fighting, it would be better for you," he said, "I'm not a bad man."

And on the surface, he wasn't as the guards had also talked loudly about how he donated to various charities including those that helped women in trouble, even as they whispered about the occasional woman who disappeared after crossing his path. Women that the world didn't care about or miss. C.J. had listened to their talk, not knowing if anyone were out there trying to find her. Maybe Matt if he had known she were missing but when he had been abducted in the parking garage, he had been gone for several weeks, traveling to parts unknown and had not contacted anyone.

"It could never be better," she said, finally, "I don't want you anywhere near me. You disgust me."

He chuckled at the wearied defiance in her voice.

"If you continue to resist, I will find other ways to motivate you," he said, brushing the hair off of her face as she flinched, "I know about him."

She looked up at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Andre continued.

"The one you care so much for," he said, "Piser told me all about him and how he came to rescue you from our prostitution network in Bannon County."

She looked at him stunned despite herself.

"You knew about that?"

He looked at her and smiled.

"I ran it."

* * *

C.J. remembered that conversation as if it had just happened, one that she had pushed in the farthest recesses of her memory. She hadn't remembered everything that had happened while she had been kidnapped and there were parts of it that eluded her completely still. That frustrated her while sometimes she thought that maybe it was for the best, meaning that some events weren't meant to be remembered.

"Why don't you just let me go and I'll help you?"

She shook her head.

"Like you helped me that night when you dragged me to that room knowing full well what Andre's plans were for me," she said, "What kind of man are you who could drag a woman off to be raped and then listen to her fight back and scream, as if there were nothing wrong with it?"

He looked away.

"I couldn't blow my cover," he said, "It took everything I had to get that far inside."

She shook her head again.

"You asked me why I am the way I am," she said, "It started that night when you left me with that monster."

"I was just…"

She didn't want to hear it. Anymore than she wanted to be reminded of that night when Andre had taken something from her she wasn't getting back.

"Shut up," she said, "Just keep moving."

"We're coming to the compound," Antonio said while walking a step in front of her with his gun trained on his back.

They saw a sentry ahead.

"Tell him that you're bringing me in and that's all."

He looked at her.

"You think I'll do what you ask?"

She jabbed the gun into his back until he flinched.

"This gun says that you'll do what I tell you to do."

He reached the kiosk where two guards sat and did what C.J. had ordered him to do. They looked at him quizzically but after Antonio flashed his sentry card, they waved him through.

"The boss is waiting for you," one of them said, "I heard it's quite a party inside there."

C.J. and Antonio continued on.

* * *

They sat on the beach together a thousand miles and a life ago, when both of them had escaped for a few moments from their frenetic lives. The wind blew gently through the palm trees and the ocean crashed gently on the shore just a few feet away. She sipped from her margarita and Matt, his beer as they took in the sights around them.

"It's beautiful here," she said finally, "I'm glad you suggested it."

He gazed over at her sitting on her towel dressed in her blue bikini, with a light matching wrap around her tanned shoulders.

"We both needed to get out of Houston," Matt said, "And I couldn't think of a place more beautiful or peaceful."

He had shown off his flying skills in his plane that transported them to this paradise and she had been duly impressed.

"I miss him even though I know it'll never work out between us," C.J. said, finally.

She had broken up for the last time with Jonathan earlier that week. He had argued with her that he wanted her to move to Virginia with him where he had been assigned full time at a training academy. It hadn't been the assignment he had wanted but soon enough, he would be reassigned to the field. But C.J. told him she couldn't just drop her life to join him.

"I enjoy the life I've made myself," she said, "and my career at the public defender's office."

"Then that's where you should be," Matt said, "He should understand that."

The corner of her mouth lifted into a smile.

"So you would have been more understanding," she said.

Matt knew she had him there because he and Natalie had broken up after she had taken a job oversees in computer technology. But he hadn't been in love with her the way that C.J. had been with Jonathan.

"I would have given you a hard time," he said, "but I would have accepted it, because if I try to push you into something you don't want, then that's not a relationship."

She smiled wider at him for that.

"Thank you for that," she said, "and for this."

"Anytime," he said, "I was lucky I had the plane all gassed up and ready."

"Hmmm….," she said, "I wondered about that."

His eyes drifted to an envelope that sat next to her that she had opened.

"What's that," he asked.

Her eyes followed his and she picked it up.

"Oh…nothing," she said, "I get them from time to time. I don't know who from. Probably some secret admirer…"

Matt picked up the card inside, with the familiar looking mosaic of animals on the front and read the message inside.

"See you soon…," he said, "What does that mean? Is there something that you're not telling me?"

She shook her head.

"I'm as much in the dark as you are," she told him, "I just hope whoever is sending them is great looking, intelligent, has a sense of humor and is single."

Matt blinked his eyes, wondering where that memory had come from and then he knew why. The picture on the card had been that of three animals meshed together, known as the chimera.

Andre's calling card.


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88—The latest chapter of this super long fan fiction story. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

Novelli looked at Matt who appeared to be deep in concentration.

"What's wrong?"

Matt looked up at him suddenly.

"I just remembered something from the past," he said, "Something about Andre."

"What?"

"He was always there," Matt said, "in the background."

Now Matt had lost him, Novelli thought.

"What do you mean," he asked.

"After her first encounter with him in law school," Matt said, "He couldn't let her go."

"But he did," Novelli said, "His father rode in with the cavalry to save him from himself."

Matt paused.

"No, he sent her cards," he said, "C.J. said she would get them every once in a while but she never knew who sent them. Thought it was a secret admirer."

"They were unsigned?"

Matt nodded.

"But they had that creature from Greek mythology that he uses as his logo," he said, "The chimera."

Novelli shook his head.

"This guy's a real piece of work," he said, "a chip off the old block and then some."

Matt looked around the darkening room.

"We've got to get out of here soon," he said, "and bring this guy down."

"We've got to get out and find the others," Novelli said, "then we'll be in business."

Matt took some heart at the confidence in his friend's voice. He knew that Antonio would show up soon enough with C.J. most likely to barter for his sister's freedom in exchange for handing Andre his prize. The man had a weakness and that of course was Elena. Whether Andre knew that, Matt didn't know but he had a feeling based on his conversations with him that he knew more about that situation than he had said. If he tried to go forward with his plan, Antonio might be in for a big surprise. Not that Matt cared what happened to the traitor. He would love to take a piece out of the man himself if he had the chance.

* * *

C.J. kept telling Antonio to keep moving, until they approached an exhaust vent that was about four feet off of the ground. He looked up at it.

"You're not serious are you?"

She didn't even look his way, intent on figuring out a way to pry the cover loose.

"I didn't plan on going in the front door," she said, "This looks like it will work much better."

He looked doubtful.

"We don't know what's on the other end of that shaft," he said, "Could be dangerous."

She sighed.

"You let me worry about that," she said, "The only danger to you is if you become a problem for me."

She reached into her belt for a knife, which she opened.

"Where did you get that," Antonio said, "or should I even ask."

Ignoring him, she used the blade to pry the corners of the vent where it had curled up from exposure to the elements of the jungle which surrounded the building. She kept an eye on him while she worked.

"Don't even think about it," she said, "I can shoot a rattler from 100 feet away and get him in the head. I had to do that when one bit Houston's horse."

"A regular cowgirl," he said somewhat derisively.

She kept working at the vent. If it were configured like the one she had used in Andre's compound in Washington, it would lead to the residential area of the compound. Finally she worked off the bottom portion of it and then began pulling. She realized quickly how heavy it must be and stopped. She pointed her gun at Antonio and ordered him to help her. He gave her a glacial look and then began working with her to pull it off. Finally, they did and they grabbed hold of it so they could lower it slowly to the ground. When that had been accomplished, C.J. gestured to the entrance with the gun.

"You first," she said, "So I can keep an eye on you."

He hesitated.

"C.J. this isn't…"

"Go now," she said, "before I decide it's just easier to shoot you and leave you here to rot."

He made his choice and begun to use his arms to hoist himself up and into the shaft where he disappeared inside. C.J. gave one last look around her before she joined him.

* * *

Andre looked around the room at his guests who were talking amongst themselves and enjoying the fine cuisine he had flown in from different restaurants all over the world. The liquor flowed freely and an orchestra entertained the guests. The women sat on the veranda which overlooked the expansive garden which was lined with trees around it and a fountain in the center. The men sat in another room talking business and what they hoped to see happen with their charitable contributions which went towards Andre's foundation to help women in crisis. Andre and several other men sat with them for a while before Andre nodded and they followed him into another room where their host closed the door.

"So when are you going to move them," one man asked, while he poured himself a drink from the wet bar.

"Tomorrow morning," Andre said, "They were shipped here from Brazil and Argentina this morning and are at the house."

"Will they be ready to fly out of here tomorrow," the man asked, "I promised to hand them over to their buyer in Singapore in two days."

Andre poured himself a drink to join them.

"They were held over in Rio before they could finish this last leg," he said, "But they were well taken care of and your boss should be pleased when he sees them."

A tall man with brown hair and blue eyes spoke up from his chair.

"And what about the woman you promised us," he asked, "I heard one of your men picked her up near here."

Andre sighed.

"He's in the process of delivering her to me," he said, "but he hasn't arrived yet. We'll clean her up tonight and get her ready to leave with you tomorrow morning."

"I want to see her before I make the final decision."

"Very well," Andre said, "She's a real beauty but can be difficult to handle unless you motivate her in the right way."

The man didn't seem too concerned.

"My boss can handle any woman," he said, "and he's looking forward to this one. He would have picked her up personally but business called."

Andre nodded.

"If we accept her, then your debt to us will be finished."

Andre nodded again.

"Like I said, you won't be disappointed."

Andre watched the man return to the wet bar and knew what C.J. faced if she left with them. He had always treated his women well no matter how they saw it, unlike the Jaguar. But it had been between her and Elena and he had made his choice.

* * *

Matt and Novelli heard the door open and stood on either side of it ready to act. But what they saw was Elena. She looked at them and smiled.

"Your friends are okay," she said, "They're being held in the other corridor near here."

"That's good," Novelli said.

"We've got to find a way to get out of here and meet up with them."

Elena smiled again.

"They are eating their dinner."

The two men looked at each other and then looked at her, understanding what she meant. Novelli broke into a big smile.

"Now we're really in business."

Matt shared his friend's excitement but still felt unable to act unless he knew where C.J. was in this equation. Had Antonio turned her over to Andre yet? Was he still on his way and if so, why the delay? Questions crowded his mind and he had to push them aside to focus on his plan of action.

"We've got to figure out what's going on with C.J."

Elena looked at him.

"I overheard Andre say that she's with my brother."

Matt nodded, not knowing what to say next.

"I know they must have something planned," she said, "to help us."

The two men looked at each other again. Matt's heart fell when he saw the hopeful expression on the young girl's face. The truth would damage her he knew, so he didn't tell her. She would find out herself soon enough what side her brother had been playing all along.

"Is Andre still with his guests?"

She nodded.

"He's discussing business with a small number of his partners in the library."

"From his trafficking side," Matt said.

Elena looked away.

"Another group of women arrived today," she said, "They're being kept on the other side of the building."

"How many," Matt asked.

"About 10," Elena said, "Very young women, I think from South American countries. I brought them food earlier and some clothing."

Novelli laughed derisively.

"He's holding some of his slaves while he's hoisting a benefit party for his women's charity foundation."

Matt rubbed the back of his head.

"We're going to have to find them too," he said, "but first we've got to get out of here and regroup with the others."

Novelli shook his head.

"Easier said than done," he said, "but then like I've said, it's not the first time we've taken down a Duval."

Matt knew that his friend spoke the truth. Both of them after all had teamed up to capture Marquis Duval sr. and put him out of business for good. The man sat dying of cancer inside a federal prison several thousand miles away from another facility that held his namesake who had been sent there on Matt's testimony. Then Andre had entered into their lives in a major way, or more accurately as it turned out, reentered into the picture.

* * *

Matt sat inside an office inside a darkened restaurant lit only by candles after a huge power outage had seized the city of Los Angeles in its grip. The older woman who owned the restaurant had kindly let them inside when his car had stalled within a traffic jam that clogged the streets as far as could be seen. He had left the car and had taken shelter as looters begun to jump over the mostly abandoned cars and headed towards the deserted shops which lined the street. He looked around wondering where the police were and then realized they probably had their hands full dealing with trying to keep order in a massive city filled with millions of mostly good people. Suddenly Matt heard the woman on the couch next to him stirring and trying to say something. Sweat beading her brow and her forehead wrinkling, trying to keep the pain from following her into her sleep. At least Matt had hoped that C.J had been sleeping and not losing consciousness. Her pulse had still been strong the last time he checked but her breathing had become shallow. He didn't have a thermometer but he knew her temperature had been climbing.

She tried to sit up and he moved towards her and grabbed her shoulders.

"C.J. you need to lie down and get some rest."

Her eyes opened but she looked past him.

"He's here," she said, "in this room."

Matt looked around him but of course the room remained empty besides the two of them.

"You mean the doctor?"

She shook her head slightly. Matt frowned, knowing that the elderly man who had just examined her had left with his son to try to find some ice to help her fever. All they could do was keep her comfortable until they could somehow get her to a surgeon to remove her inflamed appendix.

"I mean him," she said, "I should have told you about him."

Now Matt felt even more confused but figured the fever had been speaking the past hour or so.

"Told me about whom?"

Her brow knit again as she tried to focus on him.

"Julia…Jonathan…"

"What about them?"

"Me for them," she continued, "That's what he said…"

Matt struggled to keep up.

"Who said," he asked.

"Because of Scott…"

He waited for her to say something else but she had fallen back asleep, returning to wherever she had gone.

Now he had realized years later, that she had kept a secret, really her only secret, from him to protect him. Maybe she had known where the cards had come from but had said nothing to prevent him from finding out what had happened to her and her friends in Boston when Scott had stolen Andre's property. The evening the nightmare had begun.

* * *

Scott smirked at the two agents.

"How does it feel to know that your former girlfriend's committed murder," he asked.

Jonathan just stared back at him, betraying nothing.

"She killed him to get away," he said, "The world's a better place without Semour Piser in it."

"Are you sure it was self-defense?"

Jonathan wanted to throttle the attorney and wondered if he would make it through the interrogation without succumbing to his urges.

"He stood between her and her escape," Jonathan said, "from a man who kept her prisoner for a month."

Scott seemed to consider that but didn't wipe the smirk off of her face.

"I was somewhat impressed by Semour's operation in Bannon County," he said, "But it didn't really take off until Andre took it over."

Jonathan folded his arms.

"The state police busted that operation," he said, "in large part because of Matt's actions."

"He wanted to play the hero for his beloved C.J.," Scott said, "He didn't know it but he had a thing for her even back then."

Jonathan couldn't argue with that and besides, that past wasn't germane to the interrogation.

"But then I'm sure you know all about that," Scott continued, "After all, he was more than your relationship with C.J. could survive."

"That is not why we're here Mr. Prescow," Jonathan countered, "We're here to find out how long you've been in business with Andre Duval and what you can provide us with in terms of useful information to keep yourself out of prison."

A glimmer of fear shot through Scott's face and Jonathan noted it with some degree of satisfaction.

"I told you what I know," Scott protested, wiping his brow, "What else do you want?"

Jonathan didn't budge.

"A sworn affidavit to give to the U.S. Attorney's office," he said, "and an agreement to testify against Duval and his partners."

Scott didn't look happy.

"But…they'll kill me…"

"That may be," Jonathan said, "But it's either that or spending the rest of your life in federal prison as ab accomplice and a principle to kidnapping and human trafficking and it won't be any that's more like a country club facility."

"I…"

"We'll protect your sorry ass as much as the government can stand," Jonathan said, "after we deem that what's on the affidavit warrants it."

Scott slouched in his seat.

"Fine, hand it over then."

Jonathan turned to Denton who left the room to go fetch it. Outside the office, someone else made a phone call that effectively signed Scott's death warrant.

* * *

C.J. looked around her when she came to a fork in the air shafts, not sure which direction to travel in. Antonio had stopped moving in front of her waiting for her decision.

"Which way," he said.

"I'm not sure," she said, thinking fast.

"One way leads to where you want to go," he said.

"The other?"

"Will put you right above the ballroom of the party," he said, "You're just about heavy enough to fall through it which will be one way of crashing Andre's party."

C.J. rubbed the back of her neck.

"So which is it," she said, "You know this place as head of security."

"Former head of security," he corrected.

"Fine then," she said, "which way to the cell block?"

Antonio hesitated.

"Trusting me might be foolish on your part."

She took the gun out again and pointed it at his head.

"Tell me which way to the cell block."

He looked behind at her.

"If you shoot me," she said, "You'll attract attention which I don't think you want at this point."

She didn't flinch.

"I don't have anything to lose," she said, "Seeing as my body, my life isn't even my own. I'm not going to live that way if it comes to that."

Antonio chuckled.

"Oh but you will. The only unknown factor here is which man's bed you'll be spending your final night here in."

C.J. closed herself off from that thought, instead focusing on the task which lay ahead of her.

"That's not what's going to happen," she said, still aiming the gun at him, "Now if you want to live…"

"Would you really do it?"

She nodded, a hundred visions flashing into her mind in one split second.

"In a heartbeat," she said, "My life stopped being my own not long after you took me to that cell. I'm never getting it back. And tonight some people here are going to be paying for that. You might as well be the first one."

Antonio heard the cold fury in her voice and knew she was deadly serious. She wondered if even Matt knew how lost she truly had become because of what Andre had done to her, what he himself had done to her as an accomplice.

"Now which direction is it," she said, "because if you set a trap for me, I promise you you'll be dead before you fall through the ceiling."

"How many men are you going to kill," he asked.

"As many as it takes," she said, "to at least free my friends."

Antonio hesitated and then finally spoke.

"We'll need to keep to the left," he said, "That will take us to the cell block where they're keeping your friends."

She pondered his words, wondering if she should trust him. He just looked at her for a response, his eyes not blinking. Finally she nodded, and gestured for him to start moving again. She didn't know if the former security director had told her the truth but she knew she would find out soon enough.

And with that, they continued inching their way through the shaft.


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89---Here's the latest chapter of this fanfiction story. Hope you like it, thanks so much for reading and the feedback.

* * *

Jonathan threw the affidavit in front of Scott with a sigh. It disgusted him to give what could amount to immunity to the arrogant man from being prosecuted for his crimes. But he had no choice, they needed a witness close to Andre who could provide enough information to eventually put the trafficker away for life. If they played their cards right, they could send him to a federal prison to join the rest of his notorious family. He watched as Scott picked up the forms and read them carefully.

"Where does it say I get complete protection," Scott demanded, "If I agree and I leave this building, I'm a dead man."

Jonathan looked at Denton and counted to ten before he responded so he wouldn't surrender to his urges to slam the attorney against the wall like he had wanted to do all day.

"Like I told you Scott," Jonathan reminded him, "It depends on what information you can give us. We need more from you."

Scott folded his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"I've told you everything I know," he said, "and more than enough to get me killed."

Jonathan leaned closer.

"By who," he said, "Andre Duval?"

Scott shot him a look.

"Not just him," he said, "but by any one of his partners as well."

"Including the one with the alias, the Jaguar?"

Scott sat up in his chair a bit.

"He's calling in his markers with Andre," he said, "and one of them is C.J."

Jonathan nodded.

"We know that another trafficker is interested in her."

"Interested," Scott said, "Andre sold her to keep from being taken down a notch by him."

"So the Jaguar is expanding his territory into Andre's backyard?"

Scott sniffed.

"Try his front yard," he said, "but he came to look at the…merchandise and he liked what he saw so that debt of Andre's will be paid in full."

Jonathan didn't care about the rivalry between the two unless he could use it to take them both down. He knew C.J. was key in that but he had no idea where she was right now, hopefully nowhere near here. That's what he would have liked, but he knew better. And Matt no doubt would be with her…

"He put a price on C.J. to have her brought in to hand over," Scott said, "which means sometime tonight before the Jaguar's representatives leave to go back to the Ukraine."

Intelligence had told Jonathan that the Jaguar had opted out of attending Andre's soiree but he had sent a representative instead.

"That's not going to happen," Jonathan said.

* * *

C.J. still had her gun aimed at Antonio as they continued down the shaft with him still leading in the front so she could keep an eye on him in case he made any sudden moves. She wondered if they were truly heading towards the cell blocks and not the area where they would be crossing over the ballroom where the party was being held. She wouldn't know for sure until they reached their destination but she had to be ready for anything. But she had no intention of being captured. She would kill anyone who tried first before they could even reach her.

"We're getting close," Antonio said finally.

"Keep moving," she said, "until we reach the cell block."

"You won't be able to get in," he warned her, "There are guards."

She sighed, thinking there were always guards. There had been plenty of them when she had escaped from Andre's compound in Washington and she had still gotten away. Breaking into a compound as opposed to escaping one couldn't be much more difficult. Her muscles tensed and her breathing caught in her throat as she neared her destination. The air inside the shaft remained warm and stagnant and she brushed cob webs off of her face as she continued. She had tried the air shafts when she had fled before but had felt like she had been going around in circles and had been caught by some of Andre's guards. They had dragged her back to Andre along with the guard, Fernando and she closed her eyes momentarily to keep the visions which threatened, in the recesses of her mind. She couldn't afford to lose her concentration for a second, not if she wanted to succeed and not if she wanted to keep Antonio from turning the tables on her.

Still they intruded as Andre had pushed her against the wall of her cell and had unbuttoned her pants, as she fought not to struggle in his grip before tugging them off of her hips and down her legs. She had looked up at the ceiling as he had forced her legs apart where she had been standing, pushing himself between them. She blinked her eyes to return to the present and ran her hand through her hair as she stopped momentarily in the darkening shaft to catch her breath. Antonio had stopped as well.

"Another memory flash," he had guessed.

"Just keep moving," she snapped back.

C.J. pushed some more cobwebs off of her face and continued moving as well, trying to leave her past behind her even as it loomed all around.

* * *

Matt looked around and waited for Elena to return, hopefully before the guards arrived to drag him and Novelli off to be executed with the rest of their friends. He figured that Antonio hadn't brought C.J. to Andre yet and until that happened, Matt and his friends still held some value alive. As soon as she arrived, Andre would have them killed, probably out of sight from most of his party guests.

But Matt had already decided that he wasn't ready to die. Not while C.J. still remained at the mercy of men like Andre and the trafficker who now owned her. She had fought so hard to free herself form being held prisoner and had put that freedom on the line to come after him. But if Andre caught her…Matt just knew that he and his friends couldn't give up.

The door opened and in walked Andre surrounded by several guards. He gestured for the guards to get Matt and Novelli. They grabbed the two men.

"Where are we going," Matt said.

"He's going with the others," Andre said, "but you're coming with me."

Two of the guards led Novelli away to another part of the cellblock. Andre turned to face Matt who was being held by two other guards.

"C.J.'s on her way here," Andre said, "He's just been let in the compound and she was with him but that news doesn't surprise you does it?"

Matt said nothing.

"I would think that you two being as close as you are, you would want to say your goodbyes," Andre said, "before going your separate ways."

Matt set his jaw.

"That's mighty kind of you."

"I had hoped Scott would join us," Andre said, "but he's been delayed and I have other plans for him."

"I can imagine," Matt said, "given that he's betrayed you twice."

"He's betrayed you," Andre countered, "You should be happy with what I have planned for him."

"It's none of my business how you handle your employee problems," Matt said.

Andre chuckled.

"He delivered C.J. for me when I asked," Andre said, "but he's spilling everything to the feds right now."

Matt's brows rose.

"Oh yes Mr. Houston," Andre responded, "I have been keeping close watch on what he's been doing since he arrived on my island."

"I don't see C.J. here."

"Antonio will bring her here to see you one last time," Andre said, "before she gets ready for her trip tomorrow."

Matt tried not to flinch but it was hard to keep calm, knowing what would happen to her if he and the others failed in their plan to bring Andre down. They hadn't factored on Antonio betraying them but they had moved forward anyway and now were locked up inside one of Andre's cell blocks awaiting execution.

"Cat got your tongue Mr. Houston?"

"You have a very impressive place here," Matt noted.

"You want a tour before you leave us?"

Matt looked at his watch.

"How much longer will that be?"

Andre clicked his tongue.

"Patience, patience Mr. Houston," he said, "We've still got some things to straighten out."

"Like what?"

"How you will die," he said, "You can choose not to be executed with your friends."

Matt shrugged.

"What difference does it make," he said, "You made it clear you want me dead so however way you do it…"

"You've been given a choice on how you'll die," Andre said, "That's something most people aren't given."

"True, but you haven't outlined my choices," Matt said, "I assume that's an oversight on your part."

"No Mr. Houston," Andre said, "When the time comes, you will get your choice."

"Just as long as you don't keep me in suspense for too much longer," Matt countered.

"It won't be much longer at all," Andre said, "at least not as far as you're concerned."

Matt remained silent but he thought if Andre truly believed that, he had another thing coming.

* * *

C.J. foraged through the shaft, her knees feeling raw even beneath her pants from rubbing against the aged metal beneath her. Antonio still remained ahead and hadn't said more than a few words for a while. She still kept an eye on him as they neared the end of the air shaft, to where she hoped Matt was being held.

"We're almost there," Antonio said finally.

"I see the grate there," she said, looking ahead to where it hung loosely on the side of the shaft.

"You go through that and you should drop out at the end of the main cell block," Antonio said, "There's going to be guards there of course."

She knew that the block would be heavily guarded even with the party going on not too far away. They would just have to deal with the guards and she would have to force Antonio to help her.

"Okay, we're going to go through there," she said, "You'll be in front and if there's any guards, you'll handle them."

"What makes you think…"

She rammed him with the gun to remind him who was in charge.

"I'll kill you in front of them and that will be the last thing they ever see."

He shook his head, knowing she wasn't kidding. She had taken out two of Andre's top hired men. He hadn't been too impressed when she killed Piser to escape because he had been a much easier target but the two hit men were much better trained and had come highly recommended.

"You won't get near him."

"Of course I will," she said, "and you'll lead me right to him."

"You come close to him," Andre said, "and he'll kill Matt and the rest of the mercenaries."

"He won't have the chance."

They reached the grate and she tried to force it open. He joined in and she glanced at him warily as he managed to push it outward and then caught it before it dropped on the ground, giving their arrival away.

"You first."

He obeyed her stepping out and jumping to the ground, and she followed him landing softly on the balls of her feet. She looked around her and noticed the hallway looked deserted.

"Where are…"

"They'll be here soon enough," Antonio said, "if you set off the silent alarm."

"Then we'll take care of them," she said.

She looked around her, listening for the footsteps she expected to hear coming.

"He'll know that you are here soon enough," Antonio said.

She started walking down the hallway.

"He'll kill the others when he's captured you."

C.J. aimed the gun at him again.

"He'll have to catch me."

Antonio heard the determination in her voice but knew that Andre's guards would stop her before she reached Matt, let alone Andre. But he also knew she wouldn't allow herself to be taken without a fight, maybe even her life.

"I'm not letting them hurt me again," she said.

"How are you going to stop them?"

She checked the ammunition in her gun again.

"I'm going to stop them," she said, "My life is my own."

He shook his head at her.

"Not when they get done with you," he said, "You belong to someone else, much worse than Andre and he will do with you what he wishes."

She continued walking down the hallway.

"No," she said, "I'm not going with them."

"You can't stop them," Antonio said, "The best you can do is try to get Andre to spare your friends' lives."

That caught her attention.

"He's already said he's going to kill them," she said, "as soon as he captures me."

Antonio shrugged.

"If you don't fight him and go willingly," he said, "He might be swayed."

C.J. considered that, keeping her fear at bay. She knew that in the past he had used Matt's welfare to keep her from fighting him when he came to her at night. He had shown her pictures of him and told her what would happen if she refused his advances. She had known he spoke the truth.

"I'll take that into consideration," she said, but kept walking.

* * *

Matt looked at Andre who had led him into a room filled with other men who sat in discussion with each other. He folded his arms and looked at Andre.

"Friends of yours?"

"Business partners, clients," Andre responded as he went to pour himself a drink, "Would you like something Mr. Houston while we wait?"

"I'd rather be back with my friends," he said, "than spending my final hours with you."

Andre laughed.

"Mr. Houston is a businessman too," he said, "He likely finds our business transactions somewhat boring."

"Something like that."

"He's one of my guests," Andre said, "Sit down Mr. Houston."

One of the other men frowned.

"I think I've heard of this man," he said, "on the news. Weren't the feds looking for him?"

Andre nodded.

"For kidnapping and obstructing an investigation," he said, "He's been keeping one of my women from me."

The other man nodded.

"Ah, the one who escaped some months ago," he said, "From your custody."

Andre frowned at that.

"She will be returning to me soon," he promised, "in time for her to be prepared for your flight tomorrow."

Matt studied the other guy, realizing that he must be the other trafficker.

"So you…"

"Yes Mr. Houston," the man said, "Your women friend now belongs to my boss."

Matt said nothing but they would just have to see about that. Andre looked at him for a reaction but Matt just stared back at him.

"Excuse me," Andre said, "I have to take a phone call."

When Andre left, Matt looked at the other men in their tailored business suits who sat there sipping drinks.

"So how much money do you bring in selling human beings," he asked.

"You must know the answer to that Mr. Houston," the man said, "You were involved in breaking up that children theft ring."

Matt nodded.

"What about the women," he said, "Did you kidnap all of them?"

Two men looked at each other and another one answered him.

"Many of them come with us willingly," he said, "It's not like we grab them off of the street Mr. Houston."

"No, you promise them jobs," Matt said, "to lure them in but not jobs in the sex trade."

The man shrugged.

"Is there really much difference between being a hired domestic and being a…sex worker it's called," the man asked, "We treat the latter much better than most of the former are treated by their owners."

Another man nodded his head.

"Horrible things happen to those so-called domestics," he said, "One of my women had acid thrown on her by her owner because she broke some dishes in the kitchen."

"One of mine accidently fell out of a four story building," another man said, shaking his head.

Matt just looked at them, disgust seeping deep into his marrow.

"So you think you're doing these girls all favors by bringing them into your line of work?"

The first man folded his hands.

"Perhaps you don't see it that way," he said, "but most of these women come from nothing, burdens on everyone especially their families because they're women."

"So you take care of them by forcing them into bed with your customers?"

"Most of them go with the program," the man said, "It's the better life for them and they understand that."

"My friend didn't go with them willingly," Matt said.

"No she was the exception," the man agreed, "That's Andre's doing. He has been after here since they first met up years ago."

"He had her abducted from a parking lot," Matt said, "at my company."

"You see Mr. Houston most of us frown on such conduct," the man said, "But Andre follows his own rules."

Another man shook his head.

"But from what I understand, he sold her to pay off a debt before she escaped," he said.

A man with intense blue eyes spoke up.

"Yes that's true," he said, "She's leaving with me tomorrow morning if she passes my final inspection."

Matt turned to look at him.

"She's not here."

The man seemed unconcerned about that.

"She will be soon," he said, "From what I understand; she's on her way with Antonio."

Andre returned.

"There's been a slight delay."

The man looked at him.

"It better not be about my merchandise."

Andre raised his hands.

"No I promised you I would deliver here and I always follow through on my promises."

"So where is she?"

Andre paused.

"She entered into the compound with Antonio an hour ago and she's not arrived at the cell block yet," Andre said, "So I told my men to just bring her to me."

Matt's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, I will be bringing her here Mr. Houston," Andre said, "So you can say your goodbyes before you…leave."

"You mean before you have me executed with the others."

Andre clasped his hand.

"Your usefulness to me will have expired," he said, "and I can't let you leave here so there's no alternative."

Matt sat there, thinking quickly, wanting to have a plan to execute himself before C.J. arrived in the room.

Andre shook his head, smiling.

"I know what you're thinking Mr. Houston," he said, "Nothing you could plan will work. I'm very much in control here."

Matt said, nothing, content for the time being to let his adversary believe that.


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90---Latest chapter is up, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and your feedback!

* * *

C.J. kept her wits about her as she walked down the dimly lit hallway inside Andre's compound. She made a mental note of all its details, all the corridors, the doorways and any vents that might prove useful if she needed an escape route in a hurry. Antonio had remained quiet as she pushed forward and she enjoyed his silence. They passed one corridor and C.J. looked down it, seeing two guards stationed there and she deduced that she was somewhere near the cell blocks. She imagined what the rooms looked like and hoped no one was inside. She knew that if Matt and the others were being held there, it would be in a corridor more heavily guarded than this one. Andre would want to make doubly sure that Matt and the others couldn't escape especially not in the middle of his party.

Antonio read her thoughts in that unnerving way that he had.

"A new shipment of women that came in," he said, "They must be housed there until they're moved out."

C.J.'s heart fell, but she kept that to herself. She had wanted so much for there not to be women trapped here like she herself had been in Andre's other compound. But inside, she knew better.

Antonio read her again.

"You can't help them," he said, "No one is going to be able to set them free from what Andre has planned for them."

C.J. clenched her fists as she kept moving.

"You should spend more time worrying about your own future," Antonio pointed out, "than theirs."

She mentally made a note of where they were in case she could come back.

She remembered seeing and hearing other women while she had been held captive in another compound thousands of miles away from here. The times she spent outside her cell were infrequent, except for when the guards had taken her to Andre's suite. Every once so often, a couple of guards would take her out to a courtyard in the middle of the compound and she would sit on a bench near a fountain for a little while soaking in the clean air and on some rare days, pale sunlight.

Other women would be passing through, under guard, on the way to their cells after having been brought there from wherever they had been purchased or taken. Most of them were fairly young and appeared dazed while others looked around as if expecting to be any place than where they were at. None of them stayed long in the compound, not as long as she had. Usually they stayed a few days or at most a week before being moved out elsewhere, never to be seen by C.J. again. She knew that most of these women had come from large rural families in poor countries where women were viewed as burdens to their families to be dealt with rather than anything else. Whereas she had been abducted in a parking garage, these women either had been sold away by their families or had been lured by advertisements for jobs as domestics or other service professions besides prostitution.

"That would be you," a man said, "if Andre didn't fancy you so much."

C.J. grimaced, knowing it was Piser without looking up at him.

"Shouldn't you be busy doing something," she asked him.

He sneered at her.

"Actually I've got a meeting with some of the business partners to prepare with but I thought I'd drop by and see how you were doing."

She looked up at him and shrugged.

"I take that means that your new life is treating you well," he said, "and you've settled into it."

"This isn't my life."

He chuckled at the stubbornness he detected in her voice.

"He owns you," he said, "He owns anyone he chooses and when he wants something, he doesn't ask, he just takes it as I'm sure you've found out."

She remained silent.

"If I hadn't wanted you in Bannon County, I would have introduced you," Piser said, "But I didn't know about your history."

"What about you Piser," she countered, "How much did he pay for you?"

The man smiled.

"I'm a little less expensive than you are," he said, "He bribed a couple of my old correction board buddies and got me furloughed."

C.J. had figured as much. She and Matt had never been entirely sure how many people on the Arizona State Corrections Board hadn't been as dirty as Piser and perhaps they sat on edge while he sat in state prison wondering if he would spill their secrets. But Piser clearly had been biding his time for bigger rewards than just blackmail.

He leaned closer to her and she tried to keep from pulling away.

"You know if you're nice to me," he said, "I can help make things easier for you."

She considered that and shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer," she said, "But I'm pretty sure that Andre wouldn't want to hear what you've been telling me."

She thought she could trace a bit of color disappearing from Piser's face and he began his retreat.

"You're never going to get out of here," Piser said, "You've got no one to help you even in the outside world."

C.J. knew he spoke the truth. Andre had tossed some more pictures of her last night of Matt somewhere in Asia. Nepal, it looked like from the pictures of him in front of a hut with snow-capped mountains in the background. He looked at peace in the photos and she wondered if he had any suspicion of anyone tailing him. He might if he were still connected with his profession but when he had walked out that door more than a month ago, he hadn't been the man she had known for so long. She knew he'd be safe as long as she did as Andre wanted. The moment she refused him, Matt would be dead after one phone call in some foreign country thousands of miles away from home. She couldn't imagine that, the thought of keeping him alive and safe kept her going.

She had paused for a moment in the hallway and looked up to see Antonio staring at her.

"Are you going to stand here and wait until the guards find us?"

She tilted her head.

"They will find you," he said, "and then they'll take you to Andre."

She bit back a response thinking of what action to take next.

"Andre's going to be very disappointed in you," she said, "Allowing yourself to get captured by a mere woman."

Antonio nodded.

"He's not going to be happy, no," he said, "but he's going to kill Matt and the others as soon as he has you."

"That's not going to happen."

"How can you stop him," Antonio said, "You're inside his compound surrounded by his guards. You can't hope to have any edge on him."

"I've faced worse," she said, "and made it through."

"There's too many of them," Antonio pointed out, "and he's got your friends and will use them against you."

C.J. knew that but she hoped that they were working on some plan of escape from their end.

* * *

Matt sat with the businessmen, repulsed by what he was hearing and he realized that Andre had taken him out of his cell and brought him here for a reason. He had to force himself to remain sitting in his chair to avoid jumping up and going for his throat with the knife that remained tucked in his boot. The blade that Elena had snuck to him in his food wasn't much but it was better than nothing and he felt sure he could make good use of it but not now, he had to wait until a much better opportunity.

"Mr. Houston finds our line of work very distasteful," Andre explained to the others, "He claims to be from some moral high ground."

The other men chuckled.

"He would be a fast learner," Andre said, "Perhaps we should put him to work for us and not kill him."

"I have no desire to change professions at this stage in my life," Matt said, "but thanks for the offer."

Andre smiled.

"Yes, that would be much better," he said, "What if he does that for us and we let the others go?"

Matt looked up at them, his mind working just as they knew it would be.

"Yes, Matt that could be arranged," Andre said, "The pay's very good, you would get to do a lot of traveling and there are let's say, fringe benefits…"

Matt paused.

"What about C.J.?"

Andre studied him.

"There's not much I could do about her," he said, "A promise is a promise and she now belongs to the man this gentleman over here works for."

"You see now that wouldn't work for me," Matt said, "Only if you agreed to let her go."

Andre shook his head smiling.

"You wear your heart too much on your sleeve," he said, "My father told me that about you."

"Your father's locked up in prison and just about to leave it in a box," Matt said, "And that's exactly where you're going but we can skip the prison and the paperwork and just put you in a box."

"My father will amaze his doctors," Andre insisted, "and there's ways to ensure his release."

That revelation didn't surprise Matt given how thick the blood was between the Duvals. After all, Andre's father had sent men to hijack his men and kidnap him and C.J. to force him to spring his assassin son from prison.

"I'll bet," Matt said, "but it's not going to work if you're dead or imprisoned yourself."

Andre folded his hands together.

"You seem awfully sure of yourself Mr. Houston," he said, "but you're my prisoner as are your friends and it's only a matter of time until Antonio delivers C.J. to me where she belongs."

Matt looked at him directly.

"Where is your head of security anyway," he said, "It seemed that he should have been here by now."

Andre's eyes dimmed for a moment and his mouth tightened. Matt knew that this delay by one of his top men hadn't been part of the plan. Maybe that meant that C.J. had gotten away, or at least that's what Matt hoped.

"He'll be here soon," Andre said smoothly, "and Scott's just about to be delivered to me as well."

"I'm not really all that concerned about him," Matt said, "The man was a lousy employee and an even lousier friend."

"Yes that's right," Andre said, "He betrays everyone around him but he's betrayed me for the last time."

Matt nodded.

"That's right," he said, "He's probably spilling everything to the feds about you right now."

Andre didn't seem concerned.

"There's nothing that he could tell them that would harm me or my business," he said, "I kept him in the dark for a reason."

"So you never really trusted him," Matt said, "but what about those years ago in Boston?"

"Oh that," Andre said, "That was penny ante business compared to what I'm involved in now."

"Your father didn't think so," Matt pointed out.

"He was just being overprotective," Andre said, "like any father would be."

"He was saving you from exposing his own business," Matt said, "You had taken hostages to get back at Scott for betraying you."

Andre shrugged.

"I couldn't let Scott get away with what he did," he said, "and I needed my merchandise back."

"They were just kids," Matt said, "who had no idea what you were doing and yet you targeted them."

Andre shook his head.

"No, one of them, Scott's girlfriend had called them for help," he said, "I had nothing to do with it."

"You knew who she would call," Matt said, "and even back then, you were interested in C.J."

Andre sighed.

"She was a very pretty girl," he said, "who's grown into a beautiful woman."

"And she'd do anything to save her friends," Matt said, "You used that against her."

"Whatever works to get what I want," Andre said, "You should know one thing about me and that's how determined I am to get what I want."

Matt knew that Andre didn't lie when he said that. After all, he had been waiting in the background of C.J.'s life since he had first caught sight of her in Boston. All those anonymous cards that she had received over the years, never knowing or being able to figure out who had sent them. It was like he had been a step behind her most of her life.

* * *

Jonathan stepped out into the hallway with Brad, after having enough of listening to Scott.

"What is it boss," Brad asked.

"We're done with him," Jonathan, "as much as I don't want to deal with him, his life is in danger for what he told us."

"Do you think Duval knows he spilled his guts?"

Jonathan nodded.

"I'm sure of it," he said, "We're going to have to get him ready to move to a safe house."

Brad looked back at the interrogation room.

"I'll start making the calls."

Jonathan looked at his partner and smiled.

"Thanks," he said, "I'll see if I can get any information from him about the party tonight."

"You mean Andre's little shindig," Brad asked.

"There are some really heavy hitters in the trafficking world there," he said, "Too many just for a charity fundraiser."

"So it's a cover job?"

"No doubt about it," Jonathan said, "After we tuck Scott in at his next home, maybe we can come up with a way to crash the party."

Brad nodded.

"I'll be more than happy to sign up for that."

With that, the two men split off and Jonathan went back into the room where he had left Scott to give him the news. Brad went outside the small building to start making phone calls while from behind some bushes, Rhonda watched.


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91---here's the latest chapter of this long fan-fiction story. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and the feedback.

* * *

Rhonda had sat behind the bushes as the sun had begun to disappear behind the mountains and the oppressiveness of the sauna which surrounded her had begun to fade, with a cool breeze coming from just off shore. She knew that inside that building Jonathan and the other agents were in danger because one of them wasn't who he appeared to be. She just didn't know which one and the conversation she had overheard hadn't revealed enough information. Scott was inside some interrogation room in that building most likely spilling his guts and the more he told, the more dangerous it became for everyone. Not that Rhonda gave a whit about the attorney who had run out of people to betray. She cared about Jonathan.

Her muscles began to cramp in her legs from holding her position so that she wouldn't be seen by anyone passing by or coming outside of that building. She didn't know which ones was trustworthy and who was a traitor. Hopefully Jonathan would discover that information before it was too late.

Scott sat and waited for what would happen next. Jonathan walked in the room and looked at him with such scorn but Scott just pulled his tie and looked everywhere in the room but at him. The federal marshal threw down some documents.

"Here are the papers signed and faxed back by a federal judge who was attending a soiree in Miami," Jonathan said, "We've got to pack you and move you out to a safe house."

"It's about time," Scott grumbled.

It was getting more and more difficult to keep from throttling the man in front of him, Jonathan found. As much as he wanted to slam this piece of filth against the wall, he knew the government that he worked for would frown against such conduct especially at its new star witness in the case it was building against human trafficker, Andre Duval.

Scott read his mind or maybe just the expression Jonathan wore on his face when around him.

"You hate me don't you?"

Jonathan didn't even bother denying him.

"I hate everything you stand for," he said, "You disgust me. You always have since Boston."

"I explained that…," Scott protested.

"Not nearly good enough," Jonathan said, "You put your girlfriend Julia and C.J. through hell because you didn't have the balls to face the man you had just betrayed."

"But…"

"I don't want to hear about it," Jonathan said, "Did you even care that the woman you supposedly loved got sick with cancer not long after that night?"

Scott said nothing.

"Did you care what C.J. had to go through," Jonathan said, "She never talked about what happened to her when Duval had her alone."

The other man squirmed in his chair. On another day, Jonathan would have enjoyed watching him but right now he just felt tired of it all.

"I loved C.J.," Jonathan said, "But our relationship really never stood a chance because of how we met."

Scott sniffed.

"It couldn't last," he said, "Matt was always going to come between the two of you. She's hung up on him, always has been."

Jonathan knew that he had spent most of the time spent in his relationship with C.J. being jealous of her best friend. Several times he had confronted her about her feelings towards Matt and after she had returned from the vacations that they took together when either of them needed to get away. Sometimes it had taken everything in his power to force his insecurities about their relationship out of his mind but he realized years later that he had not been fair with her. He knew that she had really tried to make their relationship work and it had taken a great deal of trust and no shortage of desperation for her to reach out to him for help after escaping from Andre.

"It sounds like you're the one who resented her for that," Jonathan noted, refusing to take his bait, "after all I'm not the one who sold her out to a rapist."

Scott's eyes widened.

"I did no such thing," he said, "Duval had me trapped. I had no choice."

Jonathan shook his head at Scott's duplicity. Either that or the man was in serious denial about the sociopath that he likely had been his entire life.

"Just be thankful that it's me who's in the same room with you when you're spouting that garbage and not Houston," Jonathan said.

* * *

Matt sat with the businessmen, but spent his mental energy wondering how his friends fared locked up in the cell block. He knew that if they were able to come up with a plan even without him, they might be able to turn the table on Andre's security men. He also knew he had to come up with a new plan for what to do but he wondered where C.J. was and how she was faring with Antonio. No doubt the double crosser planned to use her to free Elena from Andre but Matt wasn't sure how Elena would react when she learned what her brother had been up to in the last several days. After all, she had slipped them some very handy weapons.

"Mr. Houston," one man said, "I read about your exploits as an investigator and how you brought down that serial killer who hunted women and slaughtered them."

Another man nodded.

"Yes, his name was Castanos, I believe," he said, "A brilliant man with the most amazing business acumen and drive. It's a shame he was also insane."

Andre nodded.

"He had been a generous donor to my foundation for women when I started it in Europe," he said, "Millions of dollars he contributed without ever wanting anything in return. To think that all this time, he was this century's Jack the Ripper."

Matt felt sickened by the mention of the man who had first hired top assassins to kill him and then decided to do it himself, using C.J. as bait.

"Somehow it doesn't surprise me that you view that madman in such a positive light," he said.

Andre turned to look at him.

"On the contrary Mr. Houston," he said, "His violence towards women is something that society can't forgive. Death was mercy for him and his victims."

"If you play your cards right," Matt said, "You'll be joining him soon."

Andre chuckled.

"I highly doubt it," he said, "You see I'm the one in control here. C.J. had the same problem learning that but she did eventually."

"She got away from you."

Andre shrugged.

"For a little while."

* * *

C.J. and Antonio narrowly avoided the guards as they continued down the hallway, somewhere close to where Andre held people captive. At gunpoint, Antonio pointed out the hotspots to avoid so as not to be detected. Not that C.J. trusted his information but he appeared to be helping her albeit because she didn't leave him much choice. But then it wouldn't hurt Andre's top security man to know what life was like when your choices were taken away from you. A lesson she had learned that would never leave her as long as she lived.

"Which way," she asked him, poking the gun in his back as they reached a juncture.

Antonio paused and then told her to go to the right. It didn't' seem to her that this compound was designed all that differently than the one she had escaped from months ago. That might come in handy later on after she had found Matt and the others.

"You won't be able to help him," Antonio said, "but I will give you whatever help you need if you help me save my sister."

C.J. shook her head.

"I've seen what help you give out Antonio and you have a small problem with betraying people," she said.

"You still hate me for what happened that first night," Antonio said, "when I delivered you to Andre."

C.J. knew that he was right that she bore a fair degree of resentment for his role in what had happened to her. And when she had learned that he hadn't really been loyal to Andre just infiltrating his guard to get to his sister, the anger which filled her almost overwhelmed her. Because it seemed to her that he should have drawn the line of participating in her nightmare.

"I was willing to forgive you for that," she said, "before you violated my trust. But it's my fault for letting my guard down. That won't happen again."

He heard the firmness of tone in her voice and knew she meant it.

"What if you need me to save Matt," he asked.

She looked at him warily.

"You can't do that," she said, "You're the one that ensured his capture."

"Andre's going to keep him separated from the others," Antonio said, "to play with his head for a while before he kills him."

"He won't kill him until he captures me," C.J. said, "and I'm not going to let that happen."

"That might be true," Antonio said, "but you won't be able to elude him and his guards without some help."

"I don't trust your kind of help," she countered, "You were planning to use me as your bargaining chip remember?"

And he had been before she turned the tables on him and the captor became the captured. But she had to think of a masterful plan to turn the tables on Andre inside his own fortress and she wasn't sure she had enough time.

"C.J. if you let me help you," Antonio said, "We can both get what we want here."

She shook her head.

"Just keep on moving."

* * *

Matt saw that one of the guards had entered the room and gestured Andre to come out and talk to him. He wondered if the conversation had anything to do with C.J. and Antonio but the two men were standing too far away.

"Perhaps that's good news about the woman," one of them said, "My boss isn't too pleased with Andre right now for letting her slip away."

"Does Andre work for your boss," Matt asked.

The man chuckled.

"Not yet."

Matt's brows rose at that. He wondered if Andre were aware that his partner had greater ambitions than just to share the running of their global enterprise. But then he remembered that not much got past Andre. Except for C.J.

"My boss provided much of the overhead for this business years ago," the man said, "just after Andre finished business school at Harvard."

Matt digested that.

"Back then he was dealing in drugs," he said, "So your boss switched him over into trafficking humans?"

The man shrugged.

"My boss had to clean up after him," he said, "Things got a little messy for Andre in Boston. He left a trail of women…"

"Dead?"

The man paused.

"Some of them yes," he said, "Others were…damaged."

It didn't surprise Matt to hear that Andre had a history of violence involving young women. A natural progression for him to then make a fortune for himself exploiting them.

"He's a smart man," the man said, "but sometimes he is quite…impulsive. His father's had to keep him line more than once."

"But his father wound up helping him from prison," Matt said, "So underneath it, he must have approved of what he was doing."

The man sighed.

"Marquis Duval was world renowned for terrorism," he said, "but he had been captured…because of you and both he and his other son would never live to see outside their prison cells."

"No they won't," Matt said, "And they're exactly where they belong. I heard Duval sr.'s not long for this world."

The other man nodded.

"He's got weeks at most to live," he said, "Andre's tried to use his money and influence to get him a compassionate furlough so he won't die there."

Matt countered.

"Good luck," he said, "The man is a very dangerous and ruthless killer. I saw him in action first hand."

"Both of his sons were chips off of the old block," the man said, "but Andre's grew up without a father and despised his mother for being a whore. She was just one of Marquis' many women."

"So he's got issues with his mother," Matt said, hardly surprised.

"He's got women all over the world," the man said, "France. South America. This neck of the woods. Some of them are still devoted to him. Others have faded into the woodwork."

"I imagine being the consort of a ruthless taker of lives can make it hard for you to be invited to parties," Matt said, "What about Andre? Does he get out and about?"

The men looked at each other.

"Andre's more…choosy," the man said, "Women flock around him but he's interested in a certain…type."

"Women who look like his mother," Matt guessed.

The man looked at him surprised, then nodded.

When C.J. had crossed Andre's path at that party in Boston, she had thought she would only be giving her friend a ride home because Scott had skipped out on her again. She had no idea what she had just walked into or how it would impact her life years later. How the man who had her kidnapped and then held captive had fixated on her because of his lifelong anger at the woman who had birthed him.

* * *

C.J.'s mind was busy on other things besides why Andre had stalked her much of her life since they had both been in the same corner of the world. Antonio kept stopping her progress with all his questions and pleas to join in on her efforts. But having been betrayed by him already, she didn't want to prove the fool by allowing him to do it again. She was determined to try to stop Andre from killing her friends and to break this hold he had over her life. But she knew the odds didn't favor her chances for success.

"There's some guards around the corner," Antonio said, "That might be where Andre's keeping your friends."

Matt and the others were just a few yards away.

"How many guards?"

"Two."

C.J. tilted her head.

"Where are the rest of them?"

Antonio shrugged.

"They might be forming a tighter perimeter around the party guests."

C.J. thought that made some sense but knew she had to proceed with great care. Still, two guards in her path didn't really bother her. She made sure the safety on her gun was turned off. Antonio just looked at her.

"So you're just going to walk in there and shoot them?"

She nodded.

"If that's necessary," she said, "I'll do anything to free my friends. Isn't that what you've been telling me?"

She walked past him, still keeping an eye so that it wouldn't suddenly become three against one but he seemed to just proceed along.

They ran into the two guards almost immediately. One of them recognized her and smiled.

"Andre's going to be really happy when he sees you," he said.

"We might even get a bonus," the other guard said.

C.J. drew her weapon and they looked up at her in shock. Then one scoffed at her.

"You won't shoot us."

She aimed her gun and fired, shooting a round at his feet. Pain split his face and he reached down to grab his foot. Antonio turned to her.

"Did you mean to hit him?"

"Not really," C.J. said, "But that's one guard that's going to have problems walking for a while."

The other just looked at her.

"If you don't cooperate," she said, "The next round's going in your heart."

He tried to reach for his gun, then when hesitated.

"Shoot them," the guy lying on the ground shouted.

The guard started to reach for his gun and when he grabbed it, C.J. fired and shot his hand, causing the gun to fall on the ground. She dashed over and grabbed it, still pointing her weapons at them. They just looked at her.

"Get up," she ordered.

They did and she ordered them to hand over the keys to the cell block which they did reluctantly.

"You won't get away with it," one of them said, "This place is surrounded."

She just looked at him.

"If they're all like you," she said, "This won't be as big a problem as I thought."'

But inwardly, she knew she had to be on her toes. Still, now she had the keys to free Matt and her friends. She just had to find out what cell they were in. She continued walking carefully down the row, looking inside the small windows for familiar faces.

* * *

Scott walked in between both Jonathan and Denton towards the outer door. In front of him walked Brad who was assigned to check for anything dangerous or threatening to them or their federal witness. Jonathan knew that word would spread that Scott had turned evidence against Duval and they only had a matter of time before hit men would be dispatched to hunt him down. Jonathan didn't care what happened to Scott in the end, as long as he lived long enough to testify to the federal grand jury and bring down some indictments.

Brad opened the door and looked around, then gestured for them all to go outside to walk the short distance where a car with tinted windows would be waiting to deliver Scott to the safe house on the other side of the island before he could be flown back to the United States to be processed. They walked outside into the darkness and noticed that the temperature had dropped, making the island feel less like a steam bath. Stars glittered in the dark sky, tinged with purple near the horizon. And Jonathan thought that someday when he retired from wearing a suit and carrying a gun, this island might be a nice spot to hide away from the world.

Suddenly, he noticed that Brad had stopped walking with the car just in front of him. The vehicle had been totally secured and already tested twice for explosive devices or any other attempts at sabotage, coming up clean which had caused Jonathan's nerves to relax just a little bit.

"What is it Brad?"

Jonathan and Denton looked at each other but Scott, it seemed already knew.

"How well do you really know your agent," he asked softly.

Jonathan looked up at his agent and noticed that Brad had pulled out his service gun and pointed it right at them.

In the bushes, Rhonda's heart suddenly felt like it had stopped beating.


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92--- This chapter's up and I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and your feedback!

* * *

C.J. had graduated from Harvard School of Law with honors, bringing to an end the three years she had spent working diligently to achieve her dream, the one she had shared with her close friend Julia since both were little girls.

Until the day had come when her friend had been diagnosed with cancer.

At first, when Julia had given her the grave news of her diagnosis, she had comforted C.J. who had cried softly when she heard that Julia had opted out of returning to Harvard and would be starting chemotherapy treatments. Julia had been left to face her illness alone. Her parents were too distracted by their own lives and Scott had already taken off and abandoned his girlfriend once again. So she had turned to C.J. for support but she had not wanted the friend to give up her dream to become a kickass attorney.

"I don't know if I can go back," C.J. had told her as they met in a café after Julia had received an outpatient treatment.

"You must C.J.,"Julia insisted, "You can't let what happened to us stop you from moving forward."

C.J. had looked down at her hands for a while, while Julia listed all the reasons why her friend needed to return to school for her second year of legal training. She had tried to listen but her thoughts strayed away to one night last spring, the night that she and two of her friends had fled a burning building and the man who had plagued her dreams. She had picked up the newspaper that morning and had read about the body of a young woman, brunette like herself who had been found abandoned by the river, washed up on its shore. She wondered if anyone had ever reported her missing when she had been alive.

"I still see him when I sleep," C.J. said, "And I'm afraid he'll come back."

Julia shook her head.

"He's long gone," she said, "Those men whoever they were took him away and then left us to burn to death in that old house."

C.J. knew her friend was probably right but she remembered the man's promise before he had left with the others. That he would return for her some day and though his voice had been soft, the expression in his eyes told her he meant it.

"Maybe you should tell Matt about it and he can use his intelligence background to find the guy," Julia said.

C.J. shook her head vehemently. She could never tell him what had happened to her although he knew she was keeping something from him.

"He knows I'm hiding something," she said, "But he's never pushed me about it. Just told me he'll be there to listen if I do ever want to tell him."

"Then why don't you," Julia said, "You know how he feels about you."

That she did and there lay the problem. She feared that he would jeopardize his own military career and even his life to hunt the guy down and exact some form of revenge on him. So she kept what happened to herself and so when he had waken her up from a nightmare or two, she had told him quietly that everything was fine.

She had spent her whole life after what happened to her in Boston reassuring herself that everything was fine and in the meantime, Andre had bode his time until the night he would deliver on his promise that he had made to her after those men she know knew had worked for his father had interrupted his plans for her.

C.J. shook her head to head to clear those thoughts knowing that right now, they couldn't help her. Antonio still moved forward after she had dispatched those guards. Each time she passed a windowed cell in the bloc, she looked inside hoping to see her friends. Finally, she approached one and looked in and saw Novelli sitting there on his bunk. She took out the keys and tried a couple of them before the light flashed green and she could open the door.

Novelli looked up at her startled, and then smiled broadly.

"It's really great to see you again," he said, and then his smile dimmed when he saw Antonio, "You do know he's a traitor."

C.J. nodded.

"But he knows what will happen if he doesn't do as I tell him," she said, "I took care of the guards too though they'll probably alert the others at some point if they haven't already."

Novelli nodded.

"Then we'd better get going," he said, "The others are locked up nearby…except for Matt. Andre had some guards remove him from the bloc."

C.J. knew as much. Andre would want to keep Matt separate from the others and closer to him to use as a bargaining chip against her.

"How are you doing," he asked her.

She smiled grimly.

"Not one of my favorite places to be," she said, "But we've got a job to do."

Novelli gestured to Antonio.

"What about him," he asked, "Can we trust him not to betray us again?"

"No we can't do that," C.J. said, "But we can make him work for us with the right incentive."

Antonio just stared at the two of them.

"You both hold all the cards here."

C.J. looked at Novelli.

"I guess that means he's not going to give us any trouble?"

They left the cell and sought out their friends inside the other cells. After locating them, they unlocked their cells and were reunited. Still no guards had appeared to try to apprehend them. C.J. wondered if the situation were really unfolding as uneventful as it appeared. But her focus was on finding Matt and freeing him from Andre so any doubts she had left her mind as she concentrated on what it would take to do just that.

* * *

Matt sat with the traffickers wanting to be just about any place else. The men and their casual discussion of their trade disgusted him yet he forced himself to talk with them, in hopes of gleaning any useful information. He had to find a way to get the upper hand in this situation before Antonio arrived with C.J. Andre had left periodically to check on the rest of his guests and no doubt get updates on when C.J. and Scott would be arriving. That gave Matt some relief from having to look at the man who had terrorized his best friend. It took all of his strength just to keep from leaping out of his chair and trying to kill Andre with his bare hands if he couldn't get to the knife that Elena had snuck him. Even if he was killed for his efforts, he would make sure he seized the life out of Andre. But killing Andre might save C.J. from him but it wouldn't free her. His best friend needed him alive to help her find her way back even if they succeeded in bringing Andre and his partners down.

It would be easy enough to snuff out Andre's life, as formidable as he appeared physically. But what would happen to C.J. if Matt were killed for her efforts? She would still wind up in the hands of the trafficker whose brand she wore on her shoulder. No, he had to park his emotions and use his mind to think his way into a position where he could make a move, hopefully with his friends. He knew Andre had been trying to bait him for a response but Matt remained determined not to give him one. Not when C.J. depended on him.

Andre returned into the room and looked at Matt.

"Your friend Scott has just been intercepted by one of my best men," he said, "He will be joining you here soon after we kill the agents with him."

Matt's eyes widened.

"Oh yes, and it's one of their own that will do the work," Andre said, "Absolutely perfect, don't you think?"

* * *

Jonathan looked up at the man who had worked alongside him for several years. The man who had watched his back on more than one occasion when his life had depended on it. The man who he had invited back to his family's ranch to do some fishing after a really tough assignment. The man who now had a gun aimed at him and hollowness in his eyes.

"Brad, you can't be serious…"

His agent kept his hand steady.

"Just hand him over to me," he said, "and you can walk away from this unharmed."

Jonathan shook his head slowly.

"You know I can't do that Brad."

He looked for indecision in the man's eyes and saw none.

"If you don't hand over your witness, I will shoot," Brad said, "I don't want to do it but I will."

Denton's eyes blazed.

"Another traitor in our midst," he said, "I cannot believe this."

Jonathan shot the agent a look and then returned his focus to Brad.

"You don't have to do this Brad," he said, "There's still time to forget about doing this. We can talk about it."

Brad raised his gun higher.

"There's going to be no more talking," he said, "You're going to give me your witness and then I'm going to put a bullet in his head so he can't testify."

Scott blanched.

"Listen, you don't have to do that," he stammered, "If you just let me go, I'll take the Fifth…I won't say anything on the stand."

Brad shifted the gun towards him.

"Shut up," he ordered, "I'm actually looking forward to putting you out of everyone else's misery. A man who will betray his best friend will betray anyone for the right price."

Jonathan thought fast to put the pieces together that had just been thrown at him.

"Did Andre put you up to this…?"

Brad sneered.

"Who said anything about Andre," he said, "His partners will be getting ready to move over him."

Jonathan and Denton looked at each other. Scott just continued to snivel.

"You don't want to kill me," he protested, "I already told you I won't talk."

"I'm going to make sure of that," Brad said, as he kept the gun aimed on them.

Jonathan thought fast about what to do next.

* * *

C.J. and Novelli looked down the corridor while Brady and Zeke checked the other passageway. No guards had shown up yet and C.J. wondered if Andre knew of their arrival and had set up a trap for her to walk right towards. She knew Matt was the bait but she also knew she had to find him quickly.

"I don't like this," Novelli said.

C.J. shrugged.

"Me neither but we have to find him," she said.

They continued walking while keeping an eye on Antonio if he decided to make any sudden moves but he just remained silent.

"Andre's got Houston close to him," C.J. said, "and probably waiting for us."

Novelli nodded.

"We're going to have to be prepared for anything," he said, "He didn't get where he did by being careless."

C.J. knew that. She had picked that up back in Boston those years ago. Even then, he had such a hold on her and kept a part of her from moving forward with her life. That part of her had receded into the shadows as the years had passed and she no longer looked at him to jump out at her. She had moved on with her life and Matt had been a huge part of that as they had worked together first in Texas and then had picked up stakes and moved out to L.A. to start a new chapter of his business and their lives. And then just at the point where she had almost forgotten about him, he had returned back into her life.

"I don't care how careful he thinks he is," she said, "He's not going to harm Houston. I'll do whatever it takes to stop him."

Novelli looked at her.

"What if he tries to use Matt to get you to surrender?"

She froze at that but only for a moment, not willing to give him even that much, an inch more of her life and her body that he had already taken. Somehow, some way she would end his hold on her tonight, no matter what it took.

"I'm not going to let it come to that," she said, "Andre would never let him go anyway."

She knew that whatever she did, Matt would die soon after Andre had seized control of her. So she intended to go out fighting if it came to that. She would never let him control her again.

The group of them continued down the corridor, waiting for the guards to stop them but they never appeared.

* * *

"I'm going to kill him and you won't stop me," Brad told Jonathan as the standoff outside the building continued.

Jonathan remained just as resolved.

"I can't let you do that," he said, "My job is to deliver the witness to the federal judge in Miami."

"That's too bad," Brad said, "because my job is to stop that weasel from ever opening his mouth again."

Jonathan shook his head.

"Your job is to help me bring him in safely," he said, "You took an oath to uphold the law."

Brad laughed.

"And what did doing my job do for me," he said, "Nearly got me killed more times than I can count and for what, to protect the scum of the earth from only getting what they deserve and for saving the government the money of protecting them."

Jonathan sighed. He knew that more often than not the witnesses they protected were criminals, including some who were unrepentant. But that was the nature of the beast, if the agency wanted to bring down the kingpins of organized crime or trafficking organizations, they had to get those on the lower rungs of the ladder to testify and that meant protecting them.

"You knew what this job was when you signed up for it," Jonathan said.

"I knew it," Brad said, "but what we do is immoral even if we do take out a couple kingpins."

"So you join up with the bad guys to get even," Jonathan asked.

"No, I did it to get more money," Brad said, "I figured at some point if I'm going to protect criminals, I will pick the ones to look after and get better compensated for it."

Jonathan heard the weariness in the agent's voice and knew that Brad hadn't been the only one to go down the path and came out a rogue on the other side of it. Still, he had a job to do and Brad was about to kill the witness who could bring down Andre Duval if they could deliver him safely into protective custody. He hated this part of his job but he saw the bigger picture, the one that Brad had clearly lost sight of along the way.

Brad aimed his gun at Scott, the resolve in his eye told Jonathan he was going to take him out. To both prevent him from testifying in court against a human trafficker who now had Brad on his payroll but also because he despised the man that much, knowing the world would be better off without him in the mix. Jonathan wondered if Scott was aware he had become a walking contradiction not that it ultimately mattered.

"I'm going to kill him one way or another," Brad said, clicking off the safety on his gun, "Don't try to stop me."

Jonathan looked at Brad who appeared calm as he aimed his gun at him. His heart sank as he realized what he would have to do.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93---Here's the latest chapter of this super long FF story. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback...

* * *

Brad aimed his gun steadfast at Scott who wilted under the pressure. He just looked at the rogue agent pleading him not to shoot him with his eyes and that helpless look just made him feel giddy inside. Jonathan just looked at the attorney, knowing that if he could have skulked away, he would have done so. Then he looked back at the unblinking eyes of his agent who he knew had been dispatched to pull that trigger and take him out before he could snitch. At the man Jonathan wished he could kill himself and if he had a gun in his hand…

In Scott's soulless eyes, he saw the woman whose life he had irrevocably damaged with his actions which had been based on nothing other than greed and opportunism. When he had handed that phone message to C.J. so many months ago, had he known what awaited her in that parking garage and what Andre had planned for her? Jonathan would bet his entire net worth that Scott at least had a fairly good idea that the deal he had made over the phone with his ex-employer was sending a woman he had known much of his life straight to Hell. And though Jonathan understood how powerful a motivation greed often was for the most despicable actions, he had a feeling he had still missed something here.

Jonathan looked at the odious form of human life in front of him and knew how easy it would be just to look the other way while Brad fired a bullet into his heart. And a large part wanted to say, okay Brad just do it, fire your gun at him and we'll both go our separate ways after that. I'll go back and explain to my boss about the ambush in the parking lot and you tell Andre that you had silenced a threat to him and his operation. Even as he flirted with the idea, when he saw Denton standing there beside him having gone stone cold, that was more than enough to douse out the flickers of betrayal, based on vigilantism in his own heart. And he remembered who he was and exactly where he stood on the side of right and wrong.

Scott represented every reason why Jonathan had chosen to go into the law enforcement instead of sticking with his original vocations, ranching and then becoming a businessman out to make a quick fortune. He knew that he had that in common with Matt, who had lived on or owned a ranch most of his life but had been drawn away from that life to help others in trouble. Matt had been motivated by a traumatic experience in his own childhood and Jonathan by what happened to him when his paths first crossed that of Andre.

After Matt had made his own fortune and sown his own oats as a business tycoon, he had started his investigative agency with C.J. right at his side because within her own heart, lay the same determination to fight evil in the world, one small step at a time. Jonathan not being much of a renegade chose instead to go into law enforcement. And when he told C.J. of his plans, she had kissed him in that way she had that energized his soul each time and said he should follow that call to service.

The night he had met C.J., he had known right then she could be the woman that he easily fell in love with before their work shift had even ended. And he had never been a man who had just handed his heart to women readily, but when they collided with each other in front of the kitchen, he noticed something special about her in a flash, instinct cold logic that might disregard it. Oh, he had fallen in love several times in his life but his ambition had always taken precedence over his relationships so when he had come to Boston, he had kept the women in his life at a distance as he struggled to find his way.

Until he had seen C.J. at that cheesy bar and restaurant where they had been forced to wear silly costumes while working even before they had literally collided. She hadn't seemed to mind all that much even while the men she waited on came onto her during the shift. When they had talked in the break room, her easy going nature had slipped right through his defenses when it came to women. At the end of her shift she had asked him for a favor to help her friend and he had jumped at the chance, surprising himself with his impulsive decision. And together they had walked into a nightmare.

Still, they had survived it, or so they had thought, leaving a burning house behind them. A month later, when he had asked her out on a date, she had accepted and they had taken it from there. Both of gtem taking a while to trust that what they had was real and not remnants of their struggle to survive the night that they had met. Their relationship hadn't survived not because of the long distances that often separated them or the very different directions their lives had taken them. It hadn't even been her long-time best friend, Matt who had broken them up. It took a long time but Jonathan realized that what had stood between them had been himself and the difficulty he had at the time was that something from that nightmarish experience had always stood between them. But they had broken up with each other, for the last time, fortunately without hurting each other too much.

When he had received that call from her out of the blue, he would marvel later at how calmly she had spoken to him from some pay phone many miles away. He had sent a team out to meet her at a motel and he had shrunk back when he had seen her for the first time in years. She had been thinner than he had remembered, and her face had been bruised and streaked with blood as she stood there in front of him cradling her broken wrist in her other arm. He had to stop himself from rushing over there and pulling her into an embrace, but when she looked up at him, her face broke into a small smile. He noticed it didn't reach her eyes but he knew it had been for him. She had then sat on the bed, her chest heaving still, looking past him at something only she saw.

And he knew then, he would do whatever it took to help her.

* * *

Jonathan looked up at Scott then and it took everything he had in him to stem the revulsion of the man in front of him or allow it to be done. He reminded himself over and over that he had taken an oath to his government that he would do anything to protect any federal witness from a lethal threat coming from whatever direction. He just never envisioned it would be coming from one of his own.

* * *

C.J. and Novelli kept walking through a corridor which appeared to extend endlessly in front of them while keeping a sharp eye on Antonio. Brody and Zeke followed behind the traitorous employee of Andre, making it clear to him they weren't giving him an inch. Antonio remained fairly quiet but C.J. knew his mind was working on finding a way to take advantage of the situation. He could give it his best shot, she thought, but he wouldn't succeed not while she was there. She looked over at Novelli and she knew the experienced ex-cop's instincts were working overtime.

"It's pretty quiet," Novelli said, "Too quiet."

C.J. nodded.

"He might have kept a tight perimeter around his guests," she said, "But there should have been more guards in the cell bloc."

"The party must be on the other side of the compound," Novelli guessed, "His so-called charitable gala."

"I'm sure that's what some of the guests believe they are there for," C.J. said, "But I'm also sure that Andre has a smaller gathering for his business partners and they're probably meeting right now to auction off those women that just came in."

Including the man who know owned her, who if he had his way would be taking her with him when he left the island after the business transactions had been completed. She had no intention of leaving this island in any way except under her own volition and Matt and their friends would be coming with her to return to their homes. But she still had to find her best friend in this enormous structure built like a labyrinth.

"That must be where Matt's being kept."

C.J. thought about him the entire time and tried to force him out of her mind, when tears threatened to break through her resolve. If Andre hurt him… but then she forced herself to breathe deeper remembering that Matt's life rested in her own hands. If she allowed herself to get caught by Andre's men, he would die, probably right in front of her as the final means to achieve control over her while she remained on the island. And then afterward, she would be turned over to the other trafficker, the one that Andre had used her to as collateral to settle his debt. She would then become the property of the man whose mark had scarred her shoulder to use as he wished. Nausea poured through her as she allowed her thoughts to head further in that unwanted direction…No she had to concentrate on freeing Matt and focus all of her energy in that direction. Otherwise…

"We've got to find him," she said, "But not get him killed in the process."

Novelli's mouth formed a grim line.

"That's not going to be easy…"

"There's a group of us," C.J. said, "But we're going to be outnumbered so we have to make everyone of us count."

Novelli shrugged.

"We've taken down a lot bigger with less."

C.J. knew that he was right including when they had gone over Andre's father, Marquis on his island several years ago. She, Novelli and Matt had brought down that terrorist cell, even though they had been greatly outnumbered by armed men. It had seemed overwhelming at first but by keeping their cool and carrying out each step of their plan methodically, they had gotten it done. Marquis himself had shaken in disbelief that he had been taken down by the likes of them. Now he had plenty of time locked up in federal prison to think about it. She knew that if Matt were in her position, he wouldn't let anything stand in his way of reaching her. Her mind raced as it struggled to find a way to map out which steps to take next. How to place themselves in the best position before they encountered Andre, before she had to see him again.

"I know, but I don't want anything to happen to him," she said, rubbing her forehead, "If we can get the upper hand before Andre knows we're there..."

"Matt can handle himself with those guys," Novelli said, "He's the toughest guy I know."

C.J. knew that about her best friend throughout the years that she had known him. But when it came to ruthless determination, Andre had proven to be in a league of his own and it would take everything Matt had inside of him to hold his own with him. The trafficker meticulously studied his adversaries for their weaknesses and then quickly exploited them to get what he wanted. After all, that's what he had done with her and that's what he no doubt had been trying to do with Matt since capturing him. As they continued down the corridor, she wondered if she could do the same thing, long enough so that Matt could get away, thus breaking Andre's hold on the both of them.

* * *

Matt looked around the room, having long grown tired of looking at the faces in front of him. The men in the room had long dropped any pretense at being legitimate businessmen operating through legal channels and began discussing the logistics of trafficking human beings. He kept his eye on Andre and his eye on the man who had arrived on the island to pick up C.J. Neither would be leaving the island to escape if he could help it. He would rather just kill them, in one of many different ways that he had been trained, but he knew that unless it were in self-defense, he would have to adhere to the tenets of the justice system and do his part to ensure that they were taken into custody alive. Of course, right now, he was quite a ways from ensuring that since they had the advantage over him. But he knew how quickly, given the right opportunity, he could turn the situation around on a dime. He had to do it before C.J. arrived or he would risk losing her forever.

One man looked over at Andre who was currently taking a phone call. Matt wondered if he had received an update on when Scott would be joining them. Not that he wanted to share any space with his former friend even in the last few minutes of their lives. There had been no update provided on the whereabouts of C.J. and when she would be arriving. Matt wondered if Andre even knew what had happened with her. Was she even still in Antonio's custody or had she gotten away? He knew she would never leave this place without him and Matt knew that Andre knew that too.

"It's so difficult to hire reliable help," the man said.

Several others nodded.

"His own accountant betrayed him," another said, shaking his head, "That's the man he's bringing here to have killed."

Another nodded.

"I heard the story of how Marquis had to send men in to stop him back in Boston," he said, "when the same employee betrayed him."

"I would have had him killed a long time ago," another one said, "a simple bullet in the head can take care of so many labor issues."

"My boss' syndicate has kept a close eye on Andre's operations," the man with piercing blue eyes said, "He's young but he has provided us with some very fine women every time we come into square a debt."

"Speaking of which, where is she," another asked, "The woman that you came for, I heard she was very fine indeed so when do we get to see her before you transport her out of here?"

The man clasped his hands.

"She's in route from what I understand," he said, "but there appears to be a delay."

"I'm here to preview the latest shipment of them that just arrived," a short squat man said, "and if the price is right…"

"Hey wait a minute," another man said, "Andre promised the entire lot for the Singapore operation."

"I'm prepared to offer twice as much as your syndicate has," the squat man said, "but I only need a half dozen of them, the younger the better."

The other men nodded in agreement.

"You want to sell us yours," the squat man said to the man with the piercing eyes who looked at them and shook his head.

"This one's a real prize," he said, "My boss was happy with her when he came shopping for debt collection."

Another man frowned.

"I thought she wasn't even his first choice," he said, "He wanted another younger girl…"

Matt tried to shut out their conversation which disgusted him that men could sit around at a party and discuss women this way including C.J. and Elena. He would need more muscle to shut them all down but perhaps he would finish out this night having made a serious dent.

"Do we get to sample the merchandise," a taller man asked, "before we make our decisions?"

The man with the piercing eyes nodded.

"They'll slip them a drug to calm them down first and then get them ready," he said, "That's the arrangement my boss has with Andre for acquiring his women. You get to find out if they're worth the money and the women don't remember much afterward either way."

Matt closed his eyes, willing himself to remain in his seat and not give his revulsion away. One of the men looked over at him dispassionately.

"You sure you're not interested in any of them," he said, "You seem like someone with a load of money to spend on a beautiful woman to do with what you wish."

Matt ignored him, but his jaw clenched.

"So what's your taste in women," another asked, "I've seen you in the magazines with all kinds of women on your arm. How much did they cost?"

Matt looked at them and shook his head, not interested in their attempts to lure him into conversation.

"Unless you think they were interested in you for your personality and vice versa…No they were interested in you because of your money and what they believed it could do for them. There's not much difference."

Matt refused to be baited and this just made the man's smile broaden.

"You see Mr. Houston," he said, "Women were put on this earth to be used by men and most of them don't seem to mind it as long as there's money involved or they are taken care of by wealthy men."

Another man nodded.

"And more often than not, wealthy men are taken care of in return in a matter of speaking," he said, "We just procure these women so these men don't have to expend so much effort looking for a good time."

The others laughed.

"He's taking some moral high ground on our line of trade which he'll hold until he's looking at the end of his life," one said, "A lot of good it will do him then."

The man with the piercing eyes scoffed.

"He can take that self-righteousness all the way to his grave," he said, "as long as I get what I came for."

Matt looked away because if he didn't, he was going to lunge at the guy and that's when he saw Elena standing by the doorway, watching them quietly. She caught his eye and smiled slightly before slipping away again. Andre walked in from where he had stepped out for his phone call.

"Scott Prescow will be delivered here shortly," he said, then looked at the man with the piercing eyes, "and so will your merchandise."

The man with the piercing eyes looked up at him.

"Why are there so many delays," he said, "You aren't losing your touch are you?"

Andre threw him a dark look.

"I can assure you that I'm in control of one of the largest operations in the world," he said, "and am looking to expand in the next six months."

Matt's eyes widened at that news but the words strengthened his resolve that Andre's view of the future was an overly optimistic one.

* * *

Jonathan managed to rein in all his disgust at Scott and focused on the actions of his agent. Denton looked at him frostily.

"You're going to have to stop him," he said, "We need this lowlife to bring Andre Duval down."

Jonathan felt the muscles tense in his neck as he kept his eye on Brad while he inched his hand closer to his holster where his own firearm rested.

"Brad just think about what you're doing…"

"I don't have anything left to think about," Brad said, "I'm going to rid the world of another sociopath and get paid handsomely for it for a change."

Scott just stood there sniveling, as Brad appeared to shut out everything around him, and he pressed his finger on the trigger.

"Don't do it," Jonathan yelled, lunging towards him, pulling his own gun out of his holster at last.

Brad saw him do it and ignored him, intent on shooting Scott. When he saw Jonathan approach him, he fired his gun but Jonathan struck his arm and the shot went high, dinging Scott who dropped to the ground. Undeterred, Brad aimed again at Scott, downward this time to take him out and Jonathan acting quickly fired his own gun.

In the distance, a woman screamed.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94 is up. Thanks for reading and for the feedback, and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Jonathan looked down at his dying partner lying on the ground, his life slipping away as surely as the blood streamed out of the artery sliced by the bullet. He had aimed for his torso as he had been trained to do, as he had practiced many times at a shooting range while shooting at a black silhouette standing in for every villain society hid. Brad's face had gone ashen and blood bubbled past his parted lips. Flashing a look at Scott, Jonathan knelt behind the other agent. He looked around feeling helplessness threaten to take over but he pushed it back. The streets were quiet and Jonathan whipped out his cell phone to call 911 but then looked back at Brad and realized it didn't matter.

He heard someone running towards him and looked up to see Rhonda. She looked at him in shock, but resolution slipped over her face as she joined him.

"He was going to kill you…"

Jonathan shook his head.

"No not me," he said, "Him."

Rhonda looked over at Scott, who had nearly sunken to the ground in response to the attempt made against his miserable life.

"Why would he do that," she asked.

Jonathan looked at his dead partner on the ground and put his gun away. He sunk on the ground, on his heels.

"I never killed anyone before," he said, "In all my years working for the Marshals…"

She knelt behind him and rubbed his shoulder and he closed his eyes momentarily.

"It's not your fault," she said, "He didn't give you any choice."

Jonathan sighed.

"I trained him when he first came to work for the Service," he said, "He was the brightest agent I ever worked with, finished first in his academy class."

"He seemed like a very dedicated agent," Rhonda said, feeling at a loss for words.

"I knew when I took this job that I might have to kill someone," Jonathan said, "And I mean my peace with that part of the job, but I never thought...it'd be my own partner."

"You could have never seen this coming Jonathan," she said.

He looked at her.

"Maybe I should have been paying more attention," he said, "After all, my own supervisor was a damn mole."

"Brad made his own choices which had nothing to do with you," she said, "and he forced your hand."

Jonathan nodded, and she could see tears threaten in a man who seemed to take pride in his stoicism. She found herself putting her arms around him and he found himself letting her. He didn't cry but rested his head against her chest, as she embraced him tightly. If he had any tears, they would have to wait. Rhonda thought later that they could have remained that way, reluctant to part but then they heard noise interrupt them.

"Not that I'm not touched…by this scene," Scott said, "but that man just tried to kill me."

Rhonda let Jonathan go and glared at the attorney.

"And Jonathan just saved your miserable ass," she said, "So you better stop feeling sorry for yourself and do what he tells you."

Scott shot her a scornful look and then looked at Jonathan.

"What kind of agency do you run," he said, "Is there anyone there that's not on Duval's payroll?"

At this point, Jonathan had the same question but he didn't feel like putting up with Scott's attitude any longer. He just looked at him.

"Get your ass in the car," he said, "we've got to get you to the damn safe house before anyone else shows up."

Scott started towards the car and then stopped, looking back.

"Aren't you going to check it for explosives," he said, "Both of us have been down that road…"

Jonathan sighed, knowing Scott had a point. He reached for his cell phone and called for more agents.

* * *

C.J. continued walking towards where she thought the party would be held with the others. Where Andre would be holding Matt, the man she loved more than anyone else. At the mercy of the one man she hated.

"How much further," Novelli said, after they had passed another corridor.

"His compounds are huge," C.J. said, "This one's similar to the one in Washington."

The one where she had been kept prisoner for over a month, even as large as it had been like a fortress, it had been swallowed up by the wilderness around it. She knew that geography had been an important consideration when Andre chose the locations of his compounds. It saved him money when hiring guards and installing a sophisticated security system to surround himself with thick rain forest and sheer drop-offs into raging currents, whether a huge ocean or a winding river.

Antonio read her mind.

"This one's even more reinforced," he said, looking at her, "He learned some lessons in Washington."

C.J. knew that she had been the first woman ever to escape from Andre and he had wanted to insure that her breakout wouldn't be repeated by anyone else.

"So what's the plan now," Brady said. "There's got to be more of them than us."

"We've got to get to Houston," C.J. said.

Antonio turned to C.J.

"The minute you step foot in there, he'll kill him," he said, "If you want to prolong his life, you'd better just stay away."

C.J. paused for a moment, and then shook her head.

"If I do that, he'll hurt him to draw me out," she said, "That's how he got me to do what he wanted. Showing me all those pictures of him at different places around the world, looking so happy and not even knowing he was in danger."

Novelli shook his head.

"We're going to have to figure out a way to free Matt without losing you."

C.J. nodded.

"We're just going to have to play along," she said, "until there's an opportunity for us to act with the limited resources that we have."

Novelli looked troubled.

"Hopefully that won't be very long," he said.

Antonio looked at the both of them.

"It's going to be a very short window of time for all of you," he said, "When Andre has C.J., he'll get his guards to kill all of you and he'll hand her over."

C.J. felt the fear return and pushed it away, not willing to let it take root inside of her. She had to focus on getting to Matt and finding a way for them all to get out of there even though that meant taking out Andre. She didn't even want to think about how impossible that sounded and then there was something else…

"And we have to find Elena," C.J. said.

"I think she'll find us," Novelli said, "She's helped us a lot already and I doubt Andre even suspects."

C.J. knew that probably was the case, given that the young woman had never given him any reason not to trust her. She also knew that she had taken a big risk to help them just as she had helped C.J. when she had been held captive. If Andre had ever learned how much…but then when he had returned from his business trip and C.J. had been gone, Elena had known the story to give him.

The room had been dimly lit by a single lamp when she woke up from a deep slumber, her muscles aching and her wrist throbbing where it rested beside her body dressed in a splint. The vision slowly returned to her eyes and she saw the silhouette of what appeared to be a woman sitting beside her bed, reading a book.

"Elena…"

She had meant to say it loudly but it came out a whisper. The silhouette turned towards her and C.J. saw that it belonged to an older woman with crow's feet which crinkled when she smiled. What she saw in the woman's face cause her heartbeat to stop pounding in her chest.

"It's me Thea," she said, "You've been asleep for a while since you got here."

C.J. looked around the room.

"Where am I," she asked.

"You're in Colorado," Thea said, "on my ranch, miles away from whoever hurt you."

C.J. had closed her eyes and fought the sleepiness that tried to overtake her, wanting to believe her words. But as soon as darkness fell on her, she feared he'd return.

Months later, she remembered how easily Andre had slid into her dreams, stalking her but also how Thea had been there sitting by her bedside when she awakened. It had reminded C.J. of how her mother had done the same for her when she had been a little girl before she had followed her husband in death. Thea had helped her in other ways as well as she had struggled to recover far away from the life that she had known.

"Are you ready," Novelli said.

She blinked that vision away, and faced the others.

"We'd better get going," she said, "We don't want to keep him waiting."

* * *

Matt watched as Andre returned into the room, a smile on his face.

"That was one of my guards," he said, "C.J. and Antonio are on their way here, thinking they had gotten past them."

Matt didn't let his emotions betray him, but just looked up at him while Andre watched him for any sign of weakening.

"They should be arriving any minute," Andre said, ""and we'll be ready for them."

The other men looked at Andre who smiled.

"It's just some business to wrap up," he said, "It shouldn't take too long."

Matt sat there thinking that if C.J. and his friends were arriving soon, then he had to be ready to act. He had no intention of allowing Andre to terrorize her anymore and he had no intention of allowing his friends to die.

"As long as I get what I came for," the man with the piercing blue eyes said, "I'm not going back empty handed."

"You won't be," Andre assured him, "As soon as she arrives, she's yours to do with what you wish."

The man smiled.

"That's my boss' call," he said, "My job is just to take her back."

Matt watched the two of them, bile rising in his throat. He wished he could leap out of his chair and use his hands the way he had been trained, to remove the life from the two men in front of him who talked about her as if she weren't human. That's the part of her that they had almost stolen from her that she had fought so hard to hold onto while one man abused her and then sold her. Until the day he had found her, he never had believed he had so much hatred inside of him and it threatened to seize control of him now when he most needed to feel nothing. He clenched his hands and hid a whirlwind of feeling behind a neutral mask. His years in the military had taught him that too.

Andre looked over at him.

"How terribly rude of us to talk business right in front of my guest," he said, "You'll be given a front row seat when your friends arrive until it's time to say goodbye."

Matt just looked at him, thinking there was no way in hell he was going to let the man in front of him dictate what would take place. Not while he had anything to say about it.

* * *

As they neared the part of the compound where they believed Andre to be, C.J. felt her heartbeat quicken and her legs tighten so that each step became harder. A huge part of her wanted to just turn around and run as far as her feet would take her, to find some place to hide so that he couldn't find her. But even as she had stayed a step ahead of him in her waking life, he had still haunted her dreams for longer than she cared to remember. Long before she had told anyone else.

While living at the ranch house where the people protected her, she hated the nights. When she had been able to leave her bed and help pull her weight on the working ranch as she had done while growing up in Texas, she could focus on the daylight, even in the dead of winter. But inevitably night came and as he lay in her bed, she closed her eyes and a part of her still dreaded to hear the footsteps that announced his arrival, the cologne he wore that clung to her even after he had finished with her. Every time his memory tried to push its way inside her, she reached for his polar opposite with her mind who was her best friend. If she concentrated hard enough, she could picture him by her bedside, staying with her until she slept even as he traveled the world unaware of what had happened to her. She could feel his hand wrapping her own in its warmth like it had so many times during the time she had known him.

She knew when she stepped inside and confronted Andre, what she faced. But she forced that outside of her mind, knowing that Matt depended on her and that saving him might mean leading Andre to believe that she would give him what he wanted. At least until the time came to act to put this nightmare behind her forever.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95---This chapter of this really, really long FF story is up! Thanks for your patience, for reading and feedback on it and I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Jonathan sat in the car with Rhonda next to him as they drove towards the safe house with their very unwilling passenger in the back seat. The windows were tinted so that no one passing by could see inside to identify their passenger but Jonathan knew that didn't provide him enough protection. And that at any moment another hit man could appear from nowhere to finish what his dead partner had started.

The pain which had filled him, so raw and intertwined with rage and betrayal as he both loved and hated the man who had worked alongside him and who had saved his life a time or two, who had ultimately gone turncoat. And Jonathan still didn't know why. He knew that money had heavily factored into the betrayal of a string of federal agents including his deceased supervisor who had opened up a locker expecting a payoff for playing Judas and had instead looked face to face at a bomb rigged to take him out. He had discovered through investigators that in this case, growing debts had pushed Derek down the path of betrayal. Although he had worked closely with Brad, he didn't really know enough about his personal life to know what if any buttons had been pressed by Andre.

But he hadn't been the only one who had his life turned upside down because someone betrayed him, Jonathan remembered. After all, Matt had never suspected that his long-time buddy and employee would sell him out by setting up C.J.'s kidnapping by a trafficker. Guilt threatened to fill him as Jonathan realized that he had more foreknowledge about that side of Scott than Matt had ever possessed. And that he and C.J. had kept what had happened to them on the evening they had met, which had nearly taken their lives, a secret for so long.

"What are you thinking about," Rhonda asked.

He looked over at her, grateful that she sat next to him. She had held him in her embrace for a long time after he had killed his partner, without question and without reservation until he felt strong enough not to collapse on the street.

"Thank you," he said simply.

Rhonda tried to keep it light.

"Anytime," she said, "Though I can't wait to get back to Houston to finish sampling all of its hidden cuisine."

He smiled despite the circumstances.

"Hopefully that will happen but we've got to take care of Scott here and then find out what happened with Matt and C.J."

She sobered up.

"I think we both know what happened," she said, "They haven't shown up so they must be with Andre."

"He's got that party which we suspect is just a thinly veiled attempt to disguise a gathering of the major trafficking interests together," Jonathan said, "I hope that they won't notice when the news on Scott isn't what they expected."

"I imagine they'll figure it out soon enough," Rhonda said, "I just hope that Matt and C.J. are able to get away."

"They're going to need some help," Jonathan said, "Some of the most dangerous men are in there right now."

* * *

Matt hated feeling powerless in any situation. But this by far had proven to be the one that reminded him of that most keenly. With all his military training, his investigative skills and even his pretty formidable fighting skills, he still remained as trapped as a helpless fly caught in a spider's web. It reminded him too much of other periods of his life when he had felt this way.

Beginning when he had been kidnapped by a ruthless man when he had been a small boy. He had gotten out of that situation and safely back home but it had changed the direction of his life. He had felt helpless when his cousin had disappeared and had been feared dead for years until Matt, his uncle and Too-Mean had gone to rescue him from a warlord, and he felt lost when he had to leave Too-Mean after his friend had been killed saving his life.

Then there had been the time he had been kidnapped and brainwashed due to the machinisms of a family enemy, left with holes in his life and his memories and believing he had kiled a woman with his bare hands. Thanks to the tireless efforts of his uncle and his friends, he had been able to solve that case and reclaim his life back. But left with the reminder of how quickly all that he had could be taken away, which provided him with a renewed appreciation for life.

But as helpless as he felt when his life had been turned upside down, that was nothing compared to how he felt when his family and friends were the ones endangered. Like the times that C.J.'s life had been endangered through their chosen vocation. The bullets she had taken for him, the ones that had nearly stolen her own life.

He looked up at Andre talking to one of his security men and knew that the trafficker had no such qualms about others. He had used and abused so many people in his life, probably going back further in his life than Matt knew. But C.J. had known better because she had nearly been one of his victims years ago. As it turned out, her escape had only bought her time, not her freedom.

Andre had been watching and waiting all these years.

"Thinking of a way to get out of here," the man of his thoughts asked him.

Matt looked up and saw that Andre had returned to his seat.

"There isn't one," Andre said, "This is the end of the road for you. As soon as they bring her here, then your life ends."

Matt thought about that as he had been doing a lot in the past few hours.

"I don't think you're the one who gets to decide that."

Andre clasped his hands together.

"Oh," he said, "And you think that's going to be your decision? You're in a compound deep in the jungle surrounded by my security and your friends believe that they are on their way here to rescue you."

Matt thought about the trap that Andre had set for others and hoped that they had picked up on that. He knew that years of working in the mercanary business had honed their instincts and skills to where they were razor sharp plus Vince was a seasoned ex-cop. As for C.J. she knew Andre and what he was capable of better than anyone.

"How do you want to die Mr. Houston," Andre continued, "With your friends or by yourself?"

Matt raised a brow.

"Wait a minute, I thought I was going to be killed along with my ex-friend Scott."

Something shifted in Andre's eyes, something not lost on Matt.

"He…has been detained," he said, "but he will be arriving back here soon enough."

"So you didn't haven't your man kill him after all?"

Andre shook his head.

"Now what would be the fun in that," he said, "I would think that the last thing that Scott should see before his worthless life ends are the faces of the two men he betrayed."

"How generous of you," Matt said, "but as much as I'd like to kill him myself, he belongs in federal custody."

Andre smiled.

"So he can spill everything he knows about my organization?"

Matt just shrugged.

"He's probably done that already," he said, "or at least the highlights."

Andre shook his head.

"He'll be dead before he'll be able to tell them anything useful."

Matt feared that he might be right. Not beause he really cared what happened to Scott but because the feds needed all the information they could get on Andre's operation so that they could bring him down for good.

A job that Matt knew he could never do by himself.

* * *

As C.J. neared the final hallway, she saw a flash of movement and told the others behind her to halt. They just looked at her including Antonio.

"What is it," Novelli asked.

"I thought I saw someone."

Then suddenly Elena stepped out of the shadows, having changed out of her party outfit. Now she wore slacks and a tunic, her hair tied in a pony tail behind her. To C.J. she looked even younger than the teenager she knew.

"What's going on Elena," C.J. asked.

Elena's face looked resolute.

"I'm getting out of here," she said, "I'm leaving with you…and my brother."

C.J just looked over at Antonio and didn't know what to tell the young girl about what her brother had done. But Antonio responded back first.

"Elena, I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

C.J. looked at him, hearing the love in his voice for his sister and knew that he'd try to keep his promise, to the one person who would probably never know his betrayal.

"We've got to get Houston and get out of here first," C.J. said, "and that's not going to be easy."

Elena didn't look too concerned.

"I know where he is," she said, "Andre's got him in a study with some other men…I've seen some of them before."  
C.J. knew about these men.

"They're other traffickers," she said, "They're the real purpose of this party."

"I'll help you," Elena said, "but we're going to have to be careful."

Antonio stepped between them.

"Elena, I will not let you endanger yourself in this way."

C.J. knew he meant it, but she also knew that Elena had too.

"Antonio, if she wants to help us," she said, "We can use it and she's as much a prisoner here as anyone else."

C.J. knew the truth behind that, knowing that just like her Elena live in a cage. Maybe a gilded one but one that had kept her from moving about in the world around her, to really experience life and what it had to offer outside Andre's compounds which were really prisons for any of the women who were inside them. But she knew that Antonio didn't like her involvement as much as she knew it wasn't his choice or his decision to make.

Elena looked at her brother.

"I want to do this," she said, "and then we can leave together."

C.j. saw the doubt cloud his face of a brother that had searched far and wide to find his sisters who had been sold away from their family. For male children of age, there had been the military forces in his country but not for the women who were often sold off while young girls.

"Where will we go," Elena asked.

And C.J. knew the young girl was fully aware that she really had no home, no family in which to return. Still, there were other places in the world they could go and settle down. It had been too late for Sierra, the older sister by the time Antonio had caught up with her but Elena still had a chance…

C.J. had never had a sister or even a brother for that matter, having been an only child who had spent most of her life growing up without either parent. She had grown up living close to a young boy who had grown into her best lifelong friend and his family had become her own in ways which made her feel her own loss less keenly.

But still, while she had a home to return to when this was over, she knew she had a lot to face that she couldn't run away from, which was what she had been doing since her abduction. When she had escaped, it had been necessary for her survival but she had kept running since. Even while Matt had been trying to hold onto her, and keep her safe. Her body had become lithe and strong, a live wire but even though her speed of her legs had quickened, her mind had grown even faster.

"How are you going to free yourself?"

C.J. turned and discovered that those words had come from Antonio who had read her mind. She didn't have an answer to that question not that she would share it with him. Elena had simply smiled and slipped her hand inside C.J.'s which bore its own scars.

"We'll leave here together," she said simply.

* * *

Andre looked over at Matt and shook his head once again at him.

"There's no point to thinking about escape," he said, "No where for you to go and it's not going to help her."

Matt studied the man who though dressed formally was still a trained killer. And not just through his impressive physical skills but because his mind only remained focus on that goal, to dominate others and if they couldn't be dominated, to kill them. He knew that some of the men who had applied for positions on Andre's security detail had winnowed themselves out of the process by failing to survive physical combat with him. Meaning that he killed them and then walked out to let his guards clear their bodies off the floor and dispose of them.

His most formidable weapon remained his mind which had gotten him advanced degrees at Ivy League schools when he had finished growing up, all paid for by Marquis of course. And enough powerful backing that he left a string of dead or missing coeds wherever he went including Boston where he had crossed paths with C.J.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her anymore," Matt said.

Andre chuckled.

"Really the most pain you can cause her at this point is to take her back," he said, "the woman she was back in that life is no longer here."

Matt knew that to be true but he also knew that C.J. had her friends to help her with trying to get back what had been taken from her.

"So what if you do get her away from me or the man who owns her now," Andre continued, "She won't be able to forget her life here. It will be as if she were still living it."

"She'll be free…"

Andre tilted her head.

"Will she now," he said, "How free has she been in the past few months? She escapes and that trafficker who marked her body with his brand will never stop looking for his merchandise."

Matt just looked at him.

"He'll kill anyone who gets in his way beginning with you."

"The feds will catch him first," Matt said.

"They don't have anything more concrete on him than they do on me," Andre said, "We're both very well respected businessmen in importing goods."

A man walked in at that point and told Andre he needed to speak with him. Andre got up and followed him. Matt guessed it had to do with the wherabouts of Scott. Matt took a deep breath in the absence of the trafficker running over his gameplan in his mind again, hoping that the opportunity would arise soon when he could put it into action.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96—This is the latest chapter of this really, really long FF story. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

The drive to the compound that rested at the top of a lonely mountain range had lasted longer than the rape that followed.

She had lain on the floor, her mind foggy and her eyes blurring from the waning effects of the chloroform, her heart thudding against her chest. Her hands prickled from being bound tightly together and she couldn't feel where her feet rested. The voices, masculine, had been as out of focus as her what she saw but as clarity began to return, she could make out fragments and then words, before her mind could construct them into sentences. But still nothing made sense to tell her why her world had suddenly turned upside down. She had been leaving her building for a meeting with a contact and now…she had wakened inside a vehicle with nothing to grab onto so she knew what lie ahead.

The voices filled the cramped vehicle again, invading her space.

"How much do you think we'll get….alive…"

A baritone with a trace of an accent attached. European perhaps, with English being an acquired language? She tried to focus on what they were saying but her mind still forged through the fog which surrounded it before retreating again.

"He's not selling this one…personal reasons…don't ask questions…"

She felt a few bumps beneath her and she knew that the smoothness of the highway that had dominated most of the drive that he remembered had been left behind them. They must be traveling on some type of dirt road with rocks laced through it, she scrambled for thought. The jolts that hit her body reminded her of that but she kept her mind focused away from what hurt. Where were they heading and why had they left the sounds of urban life behind?

Where in the hell were they taking her and what waited there?

The bits and pieces of conversation she processed provided little information for her slowly awakening mind to put in some order that made sense. Usually her mind worked quickly, her legally training kicking in when she needed it even in areas outside her discipline. Images flashed in her mind…of her talking to Chris in the office at the penthouse suite…back in L.A. Walking across the dimly lit parking garage and whistling some song to her car…and then…a force pushing against her, a rough voice, the strong, sweet smell with the bitter flavor still on her tongue…and then nothing. The last vision that had slipped into her mind as darkness had swallowed her up had been that of the man she loved. Her final regret had been not telling him before he had left her and his life behind.

Life had changed for her in a split second. But it hadn't left her for good and her first thought upon waking up had been relief that someone hadn't stolen it from her. That she had been given a second chance.

But as her new reality replaced the old, she learned soon enough that lives could be claimed and stolen in ways besides death. Earlier in her memory, she searched for the time that she had worked with the people she had known for years and it had seemed like a perfectly ordinary day all the way until it merged from late afternoon to early evening.

"Look Chris, we'll finish the accounts later," C.J. remembered herself saying, "Don't worry about it, just go on home and I'll clear it with Murray tomorrow morning."

Chris had nodded, relief filling her face.

"I'll do that," she said, "Dan and I want to try out that new restaurant."

The two of them had been preparing to move to Texas after Murray had promoted Chris to an executive position there. They wanted to build a life for themselves there, back in Dan's hometown where he had worked as a police officer until he left the agency to branch out on his own in the security field. C.J. had eaten dinner with them many times and had found him to be very devoted to her friend, which made her happy that Chris had found a man to build a future with filled with joy and promise. Finding her dream that C.J. hoped she would someday in her own life. The man she would fall in love with, share a home and build a family inside it filled with children born of their love for one another. Now if the man her heart had chosen could just look at her and see it too.

But she hadn't seen in him several weeks, even as he filled her dreams as she slept because thinking about him during the day proved to be too painful. He had his own truths to find, to confront in some faraway place before he could return home. Where she would be waiting.

Just before leaving the building for a meeting on that last day, she had walked past his empty office. The door remained open as it had been the day he had left to take off on that sabbatical with no return date.

She had sat in his chair behind his desk, filled with paperwork still waiting for his return and thought about him. About the last time she had seen him when he had been preparing to leave after he had been struggling to come to terms with his broken engagement to Elizabeth and the truth laced in her words that he had been forced to accept.

Now he had to learn how to live with it.

She had watched him go on his final night in L.A., her own words unspoken, her own truth unsaid and as she saw the door close behind him, she wondered if he would return and it was a while before she could leave the emptiness of his beach house. To accept the fact that he was gone.

As she lay still in the car as it continued moving, the road becoming even more filled with bumps that battered her as she tried to reach with her tied hands for something to steady herself. As the numbness she had felt since awakening began to fade, apprehension took its place. Every part of her felt its chill, deep inside, becoming more entrenched as she tried to rein it in and her mind focused on what to do next. Fight or flee, she hoped she would know at the right time.

If she had the chance to do anything at all.

* * *

The rush of water was the first sound that she heard when she awakened inside the darkened room, with only a sliver of light entering from a crack beneath a door somewhere. The fear had receded for a while and she felt tingling return to her hands and feet which she tried to move. Obviously they had untied her when they brought her which meant that they put her someplace secured so that tying her up had no longer been necessary.

She had vague recollections of having been led, no pulled as she had stumbled on the uneven ground outside in the dark, chilly night. Her business clothes offering no protection for her though she shivered for reasons that had little to do with the cold. One of the men had been younger than the other, with closely shaved dark hair and he hadn't looked at her. They had walked awhile down endless hallways until they had left her in this room. She thought she had seen a trace of sadness in the younger man's eyes as he left but in the next second, she saw nothing but a reflection of this place on his face. They had left her in a room she believed to have been empty.

But what had been waiting for her had been a man whose voice she remembered before his name.

* * *

After he had taken from her what wasn't his, he had left her lying on the floor bruised and battered, her mind struggling to find sense in a world where none remained. She had heard him zipping up his pants and his footsteps on the hard floor with his voice promising her that he would be back. She hadn't moved for a long time, her eyes remaining closed and the sound of the rushing water filling the vacuum left by his departure. Her body paralyzed from what he had just done to it, her mind traveling far away to another river where she sought peace in the midst of madness that had threatened to take her. There she felt the warmth of his arms around her, cradling her against his body, his hands stroking her face and his voice laced with Texan trying to heal what had been broken.

And she let him.

* * *

She saw the sun shining down as the two of them had sat on a raft paddling down a river which had swirled around their boat, the aqua blue filled with white diamonds and she had marveled on its beauty. He on the sheer freedom of being surrounded by endless wilderness which hugged the river as it snaked down the valley to the sea. They had taken off from their busy lives and had gone camping setting up for the night when they weren't traveling down the river. Her hair had grown wild, from the winds and the splashing water and on his face, a beard had threatened and she thought he had never looked more rugged, more handsome. Of course she had chased those thoughts about her best friend away almost as quickly as they had come. It hadn't been like that between them, not ever, but she had imagined what it would be like if they had broken their own rules and had come together, mating the deep affection of their lifelong friendship with the passion that they both knew lay there even if they never said the words out loud to each other. And when she thought about it, she knew it would be beautiful. It would be right.

In a world that had often pulled them in opposite directions even as it brought them together, those thoughts had never really taken root and grown but the seeds had been planted, waiting to be nourished. She never talked about it to him but sometimes, when they were together, they looked at each other when their guards had fallen down and they knew.

That had almost happened more than once. A stolen moment usually on one of their vacations, their retreats from the complications of their lives and even though they had never…their other relationships had paid the price for their friendship that always seemed on the cusp of something more…like both were standing on the edge of a cliff and one move, would send them over its abyss. Fear and exhilaration both together and one had pulled the other away from the edge in time before realization hit them. Just like when she held onto him on his motorcycle, her body tucked against his, her hands on his chest as they sped down the highway to some locale to escape together. Walks on the beach, her fingers intertwined with his, and on one occasion, she had been in his arms as the moonlight cast its light on the ocean and his lips had captured her own for a brief moment in time. She had pulled him closer to herself, wanting nothing more than to bring him into the part of her soul that she kept hidden from everyone else. He responded, wrapping his arms around her hips, his body pressed against hers.

Always…one of them pulled away from the brink.

* * *

On the night that she had escaped this place, she knew she had a choice to make.

She could wait until her captor returned, the man who owned her body and had ripped out her soul each time he entered her room slowly leaving her with less. She didn't have to see him; his cologne that he wore announced his presence telling her that he had come back to take more from her. She could try to escape this time and she would succeed or die in the attempt. He had chained her wrist to the bedpost as punishment for the last time she had escaped. After he had executed the guard who had betrayed him, right in front of her forcing her to watch. At that moment, she had wanted to die too and she had thought about telling him to just kill her too, even if it meant begging him to do it.

But before the words passed her lips, she remembered her stash under her mattress, the one that Andre didn't know lay there, built piece by piece even while he shared her bed. She had reached under for it and poured it on her bed, looking at what she had hidden there over the endless days she had spent in captivity. What would help her escape, her eyes evaluating each item for its value.

When she saw it, she knew the paperweight she had tucked under her robe during one of the occasions the guards had taken her to Andre's suite for the night. It had sat on her bed, partly resting on a faded photo that she had kept of her best friend. She had taken that photo out of her bed only after he had left, the only time she felt safe each night to look at it, to trace it with her fingers. It had captured a joyful time in his travels; he had been sitting in front of a hut with men that she now included among her own protective circle, smiling for the camera of a friend. Andre had showed it to her to try to tighten his hold on her but instead each night it had set her free.

The first blow on her wrist had hurt, nearly causing her legs to weaken. She tested the cuff on her arm and grimaced as she tried to pull her hand through to free it. It caught at her wrist refusing to budge and she knew that she had to act quickly before it swelled, trapping herself there forever. She closed her eyes, focusing on his gentle brown eyes and his easy going smile, as she geared herself up for a second attempt. As she counted, her heart filled with resolve that out there somewhere he existed and she would find him. Running to someone was much easier than running away from prison.

Three….the two of them were sitting together, on a grassy spot some place their shoulders brushing, surrounded by laughter after he had teased her with frog noises after brushing his mouth against hers.

Two…He had been brushing away tears off of her face after she had her heart broken by Robert, the man who had breezed into L.A. and her life, sweeping her off her feet. Holding tightly onto her for life, after a month of his life had been erased, she had tried to use her body to soothe him when words could not.

One…Telling him that she loved him while gunshots rang out around them as they hid inside an office and then…he had brushed her cheek and said to her, missed you before leaving her. Two words that he spoke in response to her three with still a volume of words remained unspoken between them. That's when she knew that she had loved him and then there was that final night…she had tried to say those same words but the expression on his face had stopped her.

She took a deep breath in preparation for taking the action she needed to live.

As she struck her wrist again with the weight, the pain that stabbed her nearly dropped her. Dizziness and nausea filled her and she fought against its tide which swirled around her. She pulled her hand through the cuff in one single, decisive motion, saying a silent prayer and this time it slid through easily. The bone that had help keep her captive broken into two pieces.

And then she took one last look before she left her cell behind her using the key that Elena had slipped underneath the food on her plate.

* * *

The rush of the freezing water on her face had jolted her out of the unconsciousness that had threatened to take her. She had run through the dense forest, her heart beating in her ears, her muscles burning. The sound of male voices behind her which emboldened her to pick up her pace but her resolve kept her moving even when she wanted to collapse in exhaustion and she kept her focus on what lay ahead.

She listened for the river, even more than for the voices of the men chasing her because she knew that where the river ran lay freedom. The first step of her journey back to him, and she would find him at its end. She had already killed to get there, leaving Semour Piser, the man who had invaded her life twice finally among the dead in a pool of blood inside Andre's office where the guards had found him quickly. She had only killed once in self-defense after being cornered on a cliff by a stalker who had already stolen her boyfriend away from her. But after the first death, they said the second came easier and it had, because when she had looked into Piser's pleading face, she had seen her rapist.

* * *

Once again on the brink, she looked one last time behind her, her legs weakening and she heard them approach. She looked down at the rushing current beneath her and closing her eyes again, she leapt off its edge. She let the current carry her as she felt herself strike the walls of the gorge which had fed the river as it spent millions of years eating through the granite of the mountain range. Not knowing that today, it became the road that led to her freedom.

Sleep had claimed her for the first time since that night in the parking garage, after she had arrived at sanctuary where on the edge between life and death, she heard an angel sing.

The river had saved her life after all, but not without severely testing it almost as if assigned the role of deciding her fate. She had struggled to swim until fatigue gripped her and then the warmth that filled her had chased away the chill of the snow-fed river. Hypothermia warms the body one last time before it takes it, luring its victim gently into a final sleep and she felt herself slip away as the chill began to recede.

Before he reached out and grabbed hold of her.

She had looked into his eyes which looked at her with such love, it had brought tears into her own and she had sunk into his embrace. He had whispered those words that made sense only to them and caressed her back.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice breaking.

He looked at her, with a puzzled smile.

"For what," he asked, "You have nothing to be sorry for…I'm just glad you're here."

And then she had rested her head against his chest, and he had pulled her closer.

"I am too," was all she said but it had been enough.

They had found themselves in the garden that she had created inside her mind to retreat to when bad men threatened. The crickets created melody to the cacophony of birds settling in the nearby trees for the night. She sat next to him, leaning into him while the man of her nightmares stood on the edges of the darkness never far away. And she felt the warmth that had filled her earlier depart, leaving her cold as if a part of her had died.

When she saw him, she remembered her life like her body still belonged to the man who had stolen both.

She hid from him the best she could, even as he tried to control her mind like her body. Where she retreated back into the garden where he waited, patiently for her with a little girl with dark curly hair in his arms that looked like pictures of her when she had been that age.

But who had gazed at her with eyes like his own.

* * *

And now later, a thousand of miles and days past the time her nightmare began, that's when she knew what she had to do to bring it to an end. Her heart gave her its answer and she never felt as sure that it spoke the truth. And what she saw there had been him.

She thought about everything she had seen and those who had helped her navigate through the labyrinth that had begun the same night she had left her innocence behind her in a dimly lit parking garage. Ahead of her just a few feet away, existed both the man of her nightmares and the one who had helped her begin to free herself from them. She looked at the man whose eyes had once gazed at her in sadness on another night, who had betrayed her to save the one he loved and the men who had been in the photo with her best friend, the one that had been tucked in her hand as she slept in her cell.

And the old friend who had helped free herself from the father on a different island and would now do the same with his son.

She looked at the faces that stood around her, awaiting her direction. She had been put in charge of saving her own liberation and the men had placed their trust in her abilities while providing their support. Her heart belonged to the man who waited inside with the man she despised and she made her decision.

With a simple nod of her head, she told the others that it was time to put their plan into action.


	97. Chapter 97

Here's the latest update on this really long FF story. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

Matt had looked out over the ocean on one beautiful morning when the sun had arisen and sprinkled it with droplets of intense light, which glistened in the aqua-blue ocean like diamonds. He had hiked over the mountain just to see the view before the sun had climbed too high above him. It had been his first real exercise since recovering from his run in with the stingray that had nearly taken his life.

Other times he had come to the edge between the living and the dead, when struck by bullets, hit by moving vehicles and once in a fight with someone highly skilled in martial arts when he had been briefly captured while in the military. But never by a sting ray, a creature that had appeared so insignificant that it could only be seen by stumbling over it, its presence felt by being ripped by the barb of its tail.

The pain had hit him faster than a bullet. It had raced through his body through his traitorous blood vessels within seconds of the venom breaking his skin. The shimmering view of ocean meeting sky, the sounds of the birds calling to each other faded quickly as he felt paralysis replace the agony and he stumbled on the sand.

He didn't know how long he lay there unconscious before someone found him. A group of fishermen returning from their daily forage to the sea who hadn't really been members of that profession which dominated the local industry of this group of islands. In reality, they had been mercenaries and Matt discovered just how small the world was when he discovered they had been close friends with Too Mean Malone.

That had seemed to be as much of a miracle to him as the one that saved his life.

For the past six months, he had wandered, traveled around the earth hitting different spots but never a single place for very long. When he had first left L.A., he had felt immense relief, a load lifted off the same shoulders that now carried the weight of his backpack. On the road, he was just another man who didn't need a name. During his life, his had carried a great weight of expectation greater than his wealth and after his aborted wedding, he had wanted to put as much distance between him and it as possible. On his travels, he had met many people and made a few friends. He had helped build shelter and harvest food and on occasion, he had saved lives. He had adventures were he went that left him little time to think and great stretches in between where his thoughts consumed him.

And in recent months and days, one woman had filled his mind.

He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings when he left but he knew that hadn't helped. She had stood inside his beach house as he packed and asked him where he would go. When he told her he didn't know, he hadn't been lying. He had felt no direction.

But now months and many experiences later, standing on the top of an island looking out at an endless ocean, he felt his sense of destination return. He knew it had been time to go home. But he had promised to repay the generosity of those who saved his life in kind by helping them on a mission to save some enslaved children who had been kidnapped or sold by their families to fight as cannon fodder in some of the region's wars.

That's why he climbed this mountain each morning to greet the rising sun. Each day feeling more of his strength return after having awoken inside someone's bungalow feeling as weak as a kitten after nearly three days of slumber. One woman had stood out as the constant by his bedside and he later learned about Serena and her story. He had told her about his own life as fragments of it returned to him while he recovered.

She had been the first one to hear about the woman he loved. Not Elizabeth, the bride who hadn't walked down the aisle with him but the woman who had stood beside him. Even though she had misgivings about his decision to marry an heiress he really barely knew. He had thought it had merely been because of her absence in his life. But Serena had shaken her head.

"No Matlock," she had told him, "It's because you left a piece of yourself with her and she has one from you."

He looked at her quizzically. His mind hadn't been working on all four cylinders yet.

"When you return home, it will all make sense."

He didn't understand that at all but didn't question her sincerity. After all, he knew what Serena had felt like in his embrace, her mouth beneath his own when they had kissed in the moonlight. They had looked at each other and inside, had seen someone else. She, her beloved husband who had died at sea in the midst of a sudden squall and he, the woman he had left behind.

The one he saw in the sunrise right now.

But later as he returned from the mission with the mercenaries, his heart had darkened with the ugliness he had witnessed, the ruthlessness of the traffickers who bought and sold children mostly from impoverished families. He had heard that the trafficking of adult women had thrived as well throughout the world but he had never seen that side. They had infiltrated one of the compounds to free over two dozen children in holding until their sale as soldiers for civil uprisings and wars throughout the region but no one in its chain of leadership had been there.

A source had alerted their team that the man in charge had flown to a compound in the north-western corner of the United States and Matt had drawn his breath in sharply at the thought of such evil within the boundaries of the county that born and raised him. But it had made their mission somewhat easier to accomplish and they led the dazed children through miles of jungle to safety and to representatives from organizations to help them rebuild their lives if not as children.

They had gathered and discussed destroying the compound with explosives that were stashed back on their island but decided to leave that for another day. Before they had left the island to fly back on a decrypted Cessna aircraft, Matt had seen the kingpin behind the operation. A tall, muscular man with tanned skin and jet black hair matched only by his eyes. He had been dressed in Armani suits like Matt had filled his closets with at home while sitting with a group of men. Matt hadn't caught his name but what he had heard sickened him. But not enough to bring him out of the shadows where he listened.

"How many are lost," the man asked, his hands folded on the table.

Two other men looked at each other as if not wanting to tell him.

"About…two dozen," one said, "but they were the weakest of the lot. There's still the stronger ones left."

That didn't appease the leader.

"How did they get past the guards to get in and get the children out?"

"We…don't know," the other said, "We will investigate it and we'll handle it."

The man pounded the table with his fist and they literally shook in their chairs.

"I will handle it my way," he said, "and you'll hire their replacements when I'm done. There's no room for failure in this organization."

They nodded.

"We're sorry that you had to come all this way…"

The man's eyes flashed.

"It couldn't be avoided and it will give me a chance to fix any problems here," he said, "But I must head back to the States."

"You haven't found the woman who escaped."

The leader looked at them in surprise and the anger was clearly palpable even where Matt hid.

"That problem will be rectified," he said, "It's of no concern to what happens here."

"If she goes to the authorities…"

The leader smiled.

"No one will believe her," he said, "and I've hired men to work on the leads to find her."

"She was too high profile."

"She's no one now," the leader said, "I took care of that."

Matt heard the tone in his voice and he hated the man even more than he had thought possible. All these years he thought he had been helping people with his investigative agency but he hadn't even scratched the surface of the real evil in the world. Evil like the man who sat just several yards away from him.

Now months later, he knew that he had missed the truth of that day. The man who had sat yards away from him had been Andre Duval and now they sat together again on an island not too far away from where the compound had been just off the coast of Venezuela. The woman who had escaped had been one he had known most of his life.

He had plenty of time since he found her again to play over and over in his mind the conversation inside his beach house before he left on his journey. If he could do it all over again, what would he say? He wanted to believe it would go differently, that he would have known in a heartbeat that what he had really wanted. But it had taken him a trip around the world to figure that out. And it had already been too late for C.J. Mere days had passed after his departure when she had kidnapped in the parking garage of his office building and when she had escaped, he had been in Europe, staying at a small vineyard with an Italian family on the Tuscany Coast. He didn't know what where he had been that first night C.J. spent with Andre, the first part of her nightmare and left that part blank.

The chapters he could fill in were difficult enough.

After he had returned home from his military commitment without his cousin, he had hid from most of the world. Spending the days out riding his horse on his daddy's ranch back in Texas while his father had been out of town most of the time on business. At night he became a fixture at the local bars, drinking up until he had his fill and then getting into a couple of bar fights before taking a strange woman to a nearby motel for the night. But the harder he tried to hide from his guilt over losing his cousin, the more it seized control of his heart. Still, he did his ranching by day saying little to those around him including Bo and Lamar, the two men who had been the mainstays since his childhood. He never drove home drunk but found his way back through his hangover the next morning. No one ever asked him where he'd been or where he was going..

No one except for C.J.

She had already graduated from Harvard University with her sheepskin in hand and began working with the public defender's office in Houston while she studied for her bar. Over the past several years, she had grown more beautiful, with wavy dark hair which accentuated her figure. She had been her usual spirited herself though like him, she wore more quietness too. But her focus had been on him and his drinking since the day she arrived back in town. He had called her for a ride home from the bar and she had told him to walk to the ranch before hanging up. He had asked her to talk more quietly to the ranch hands at the breakfast table when his head throbbed and she ignored him. Nothing mean-natured about it, she had just made it clear that she wouldn't enable his attempts to drown himself in liquor. If he wanted to waste the rest of his life doing that, he could do it without her.

He had woken up one morning countless weeks later and realized he had been done with pretending he had died with Will. He showered, got dressed and then prepared breakfast for everyone. Afterward, while she helped him clear the table and wash the dishes, she made it clear that if he ever needed her, she would be there.

He decided that he did and she became if not his rock, his closest friend again. Thinking back, he had realized that she wouldn't be an accomplice in his rejection of life, but would be right beside him while he struggled to embrace it again.

And he had found his way.

* * *

Jonathan herded Scott into the darkened building hidden in the trees on the edge of a convent. He wanted to throttle him not for the first time that long day. But as soon as he had handed the attorney over to other agents, he got on the radio to other members of the dragnet stationed closer to Andre's compound.

"We can't send a team in," he said, "You know it's fortified and we don't have the men."

"What about stationing a small group near the rock face on the northern side," another agent asked.

Jonathan had considered that already but quickly vetoed it.

"Too dangerous," he said, "I'm not losing any more agents."

Especially not after having to shoot his own partner. The silence which greeted him told him that the news had already spread.

"Has anyone gone to retrieve Brad," he asked quietly.

"Negative," the agent said, "but they're processing the scene for the inquiry."

Some inquiry, Jonathan though, the U.S. Marshal's Department would find out soon enough how many traitors it had in its midst, and whether the list of them had ended with Brad. Jonathan felt with all the loyalties changing around him since this whole thing started that he couldn't trust anyone and his mind wandered to the worn resignation letter sitting in his desk drawer back at his office.

Rhonda sat and waited in the other room, trying to get through to Chris and Roy back in Houston, but her mind remained on Jonathan.

* * *

C.J. looked back at Antonio.

"Okay, you're going to have to be up front," she said, "And Vince, you walk behind. I want Antonio to be the first thing that Andre sees when we go through that door."

"What should I do," Elena asked.

C.J. smiled at her.

"You wait here a moment," she said, "for the signal."

The younger woman nodded. Vince looked up at C.J.

"We'd better do this right or they're won't be any second chances."

C.J. looked at him.

"We won't need one."

And then she put her hand on the door preparing herself to face her captor once again.


	98. Chapter 98

Another chapter of this super long (and old) FF story. Thanks for your patience! I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and the feeback!

* * *

When C.J. first opened the door, she felt the air rush towards her. It had served as the final barrier to be breached before she would face against him. The man who had kept her captive all those months ago, beginning on that endless night when he nearly broke her.

But now months later, she had returned to face him much stronger than she had been when she had escaped.

Antonio pushed his way through the door and his eyes met with Andre's. Then behind him, emerged C.J. with her gun pressed into his side. She had after all, taken him hostage. Andre had been talking to two other traffickers and when he heard the door opened, he had turned around to look at them. C.J. felt his eyes bore into hers, jet black opals that never blinked.

Matt looked and saw her too, his eyes widening slightly. She favored him with a smile that barely curved her mouth. He answered it with a brief nod from where he sat. Andre looked much as he had when he had left her with that final business trip, after issuing the ultimatum. She hadn't looked at him then, but she did now.

"Good to see you again C.J.," he said.

She stepped towards him, pushing Antonio forward. He smiled at her then and she saw what lived inside his mind, visions of him pushing her on his bed before lowering himself on top of her and invading her body. She forced them outside of her head before they could take root.

"I did miss you," he continued, "The nights we spent together…"

She tilted her head to size him up, the muscled strength which lie beneath his Armani suit and the watchfulness of his own eyes on her. Andre never missed a detail of any room or situation he walked into and could assume control so quickly, much too fast for anyone to react. Like a snake that coiled itself, poised to strike while seducing its prey into stillness. She knew now that many young women had died at his hands, the gaze of his eyes on their battered bodies almost lovingly their last view as the life ebbed away. All vibrant women with long wavy brunette hair like her whose photos adorned the walls of the missing or dead inside law enforcement agencies around the world.

She just looked at him, hardening her eyes, freezing her body honed during the months since she'd seen him.

"I've got your security guy," she said finally, "I will shoot him first and you second…"

He chuckled at her then, mirthlessly.

"And what if you fail," he said, "You are greatly outnumbered and that includes your men standing out in the hallway."

C.J. tried not to his words surprise her and she remained focused on him.

"Then I will shoot myself," she said, "And you won't be able to hand me over to pay your debt."

That gave him a second's pause. Because if he couldn't hand over to the trafficker that now owned her, then that meant…Because if he couldn't hand over to the trafficker that now owned her, then that meant…

"He wants a younger woman than me anyway," C.J. said, "Someone less worldly, untouched."

Elena.

Andre just looked at her, his expression betraying nothing.

"You would never do that," he said, "Not after the effort you spent escaping my compound and in hiding out with your boyfriend here."

Her gaze didn't waver.

"You want to try me," she said, "I broke bones in my own wrist to get away. I killed your second in command to get out of the compound; you know I will do anything to set myself free."

Not anything, she knew.

"You won't sacrifice the lives of your friends," he said, "Including him."

C.J. looked over at Matt for a moment. Though he sat only a few yards away, she never felt so far away from him.

"I'm here to make you a deal."

* * *

Scott bristled at the accommodations that awaited him at the safe house.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," he muttered, "I can't even turn around in here."

Jonathan looked at the monk's cell complete with a cot, a desk across from a urinal and sink.

"I could turn you over to Andre and you can found out how he's willing to accommodate you."

Scott blanched.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, "I have too much information."

Jonathan shrugged.

"Most of what you've given to me already."

"But you need me to testify…"

"Yeah that would help," Jonathan said, "but you forced me to kill my own agent to save your skin when I should have just let him kill you."

Scott walked gingerly into the cell.

"Perhaps I've been too hasty…"

Jonathan nodded.

"I'll check up on you later."

Rhonda had called Houston where Chris had answered the phone at her house. Roy and Dan were testing a new security tool without too much success.

"Rhonda, are you sure this is the place you need to be?"

"I'm fine Chris," she said, "It's Jonathan you should worry about. He killed his own partner."

Chris paused.

"How awful," she said, "but at least he's got someone like you sticking close by."

"It's been pretty intense since I arrived," Rhonda said, "but I wouldn't be anywhere else."

"And what about Scott?"

Rhonda snorted.

"He's being an ass," he said, "driving everyone crazy. They should have just shot him."

"Rhonda!"

"No I mean it," Rhonda said, "After what's happened to C.J. and Matt and now…Jonathan…he deserves to die."

"They need him to testify against Andre…"

Rhonda knew that might be true but it didn't stop her from fantasizing all the different ways she wanted to take him out. If only to stop his incessant whining…

"I've got to go Chris," she said, "Tell everyone hi for me and we'll all be back soon."

Chris didn't feel so sure on her end.

"Just be careful okay," she said, "You and Jonathan."

Rhonda hung up the phone and held it in her hand close to her for a while longer.

* * *

Andre just looked at C.J.

"What kind of deal could you possibly offer me," he said, "Right now; you're standing there remembering everything I did to you."

C.J. swallowed to keep the bile down and kept the gun steady against Antonio.

"Antonio remembers that first night you arrived," Andre said, "He brought you to me and then after leaving you, he walked away."

C.J. blinked away the memories which threatened to sweep her up in their currents. Antonio opening the door and prodding her inside after releasing her from restraints where Andre waited for her.

"You wouldn't take your clothes off when I asked at first…remember that?"

She did, how she had shaken her head at him and refused, and then she had felt the slap of pain as he struck her face, nearly knocking her down. He had ripped her shirt, the buttons spilling off and rattling across the floor. After that, she had slipped her blouse off of her shoulders with her fingers, shivering where she stood as it fell onto the floor in a silent heap.

"I will give you your man back…"

Andre looked over at Antonio and then smiled.

"Antonio is a traitor," he said, "I've known that for longer than you did. Of course as I'm sure you know by now, he plays both sides."

C.J. looked dispassionately at her hostage.

"That's just for starters," she said, "He's yours to do what you wish."

Andre clasped his hands together on the table, thoughtfully.

"I could shoot him right here in front of you like I did with Fernando…"

C.J. remembered that day well, how Andre had fired one shot in the guard's head because he believed that he had helped her try to escape. But she shrugged now and Andre nodded.

"I haven't decided what to do with Antonio," he said, "but the bigger issue is you."

She looked at him directly, from across the room. Matt still sat there watching everything but she had to force herself not to look at him, not to think about him. Only she could get him out of there safely.

"I will turn myself over to you if you let him go," she said finally, "and the others."

Andre narrowed his eyes as he digested what she said.

"I plan to take you anyway," he said, "I sold you to a trafficker who's sent someone here to collect you."

She sighed, trying not to imagine another man's hands on her, dispassionately running them across her body as if she were a slab of meat or more accurately, merchandise. Before restraining her and putting her on a ship or an airplane to some unknown corner of the globe where she might never escape.

"He's very picky about his women and when he came to look at you back then, he was satisfied."

She didn't remember any such man but she could have not remembered. But some detail slipped through past what had been forgotten anyway.

"He didn't want me did he," she remembered, "He wanted someone else…Elena."

C.J. saw the reaction on his face, which he had tried to hide.

"You sold me to him because you didn't want to lose her because he wanted her first."

Andre looked at her harshly, behind his smile. She had seen that look before and she tried to steady her breathing to keep focused on the here and now, not the past.

"He was satisfied with you," he said, "Especially after…well he paid a handsome price to add you to his collection."

She nodded.

"But if I don't go willingly, if I choose to end my life," she said, "Then he'll have to take Elena."

He didn't respond.

"She will never survive if he takes her instead of me," she said, "You'll never let that happen. You care for her."

He tried to deny it in his body language but she knew him too well. The way a slave came to know its master.

"I will give myself up to you," she said, "if you release my friends."

He looked indecisive. She knew Elena had intruded on his thoughts by the light that appeared in his darkened eyes. That light would be dimmed if he lost her to another in his business.

"This is all very interesting Andre," the man with the blue eyes said, "but she belongs to me either way. My employer paid good money for her."

Andre put up his hand.

"You will have her in your possession, ready to leave with you," he said, "I've offered you my best suite so that you two can…get acquainted before you leave."

C.J. didn't like the sound of that but she closed her eyes knowing she had to keep pushing forward with her plan. If it worked, he would never lay one hand on her.

But the man frowned.

"I don't work that way," he said, "It's my bosses' decision as to who will handle her. He likes to handle his more highly valued merchandise personally."

Andre smiled and nodded.

"Meaning that if she bore your mark…"

The man got up and approached C.J. Her eyes and the gun warned him to back up so he turned to face Andre.

"You did brand her didn't you?"

Andre nodded.

"Before she escaped."

C.J. turned to face him.

"It didn't take," she said, "It got infected and not much of it's left after the debrasion."

The man turned to face Andre.

"It will have to be done again before we leave."

"It will be."

C.J. returned her attention to her former captor.

"So what's it going to be Andre," she said, "Will you take my offer or not?"

She knew that as his eye pored over her, that surrendering her to the trafficker who now owned her wouldn't come easily. After all, he had spent most of her adult life watching her, entering and exiting from her life without her aware of his connections with her past nor his plans for her future. Sometimes their lives had brushed against each other, at other times there had been some berth between them as they passed. But even after the years had passed when he had counted down the time until finally the hours to possess her, she still didn't understand why his focus had been on her.

He didn't say anything but stared at her thoughtfully.

* * *

Matt sat and watched as the conversation, the delicate chorography between the captor and the survivor took place. C.J. hadn't looked at him much and he understood why but the helplessness that filled him now threatened to overwhelm him. He felt compelled to jump out of his chair to act, but knew that he needed to remain patient and still.

Until just the right moment until he could act and help C.J. bring this nightmare to an end once and for all.


	99. Chapter 99

Here's the latest update of this FF story. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

The first noise she heard when she awoke sounded like an angel singing.

Even before she had opened her eyes, she thought that she had arrived in heaven. Her best friend in the whole world, Matt, had often told her how he hoped to go to cowboy heaven when he passed hopefully years in the future as an old man. A place where all his heroes still lived amid plenty of wide open space filled with galloping horses as far as the eye could see. In all different shades of the rainbow, Manes blowing and hooves dancing, a thunderous beat which sounded like a fast approaching monsoon, the kind that hit southern Texas in the summertime.

She didn't hear the horses thundering across into the horizon just the singing. A clear voice that resonated like bells inside a church and which sounded like it belonged to a woman who had lived a full life, embracing everything it had to offer. C.J heard the song and tried to move towards it but ahead of her, the fog threatened to shroud her in its tight embrace and render her unable to see anything at all. Even him, the man of her nightmares who had turned out to be real after all.

"She hasn't woken up yet," a man's voice said coming from somewhere.

"I think the medicine's working," a woman said in what sounded like reproach, "We have to give it some more time."

"We needed more of a statement from her," the man said, "If she dies without saying anything, he wins."

"Stop acting like a law enforcement officer," the woman scolded, "You don't have to hide your feelings behind your badge."

She heard them talking about her as if she weren't there. Only she stood close to them, even though she could barely make out the outlines of their shapes through the fog. She remained drenched from the icy river that had carried her for miles in its grasp before releasing her on the muddy shore. After she had surrendered herself completely to its whims unable to fight any longer, it had deemed her worthy of asylum as it pulled her away from the men in pursuit. The voices which had chased after her while she ran through endless rain forest finally receded into a whisper and she began to feel numbness and then warmth replaced the chill. Then she knew death had come for her.

"She was conscious for hours until just before she came here," the man continued, "but nothing made sense of what she said."

"After what she's been through can you hardly blame her for that," the feminine voice countered, "she looks like she fought her way out from somewhere."

"Somewhere in hell, it sounded."

In the distance, she felt a breeze rustle her damp hair, and she knew the gentle touch belonged to the woman sitting by her bed.

"Well she's coming back now," the woman said, "Her breathings slowed down and her heart rate's nearly normal. Her fever should break soon."

"If it doesn't…"

"It will."

The woman who spoke those words seemed so sure and C.J. didn't know why but she felt that same certainty now. She couldn't see the path in front of her anymore than she could make it out behind her. Still, she felt as if the women's words and the inflection that carried them served as a light on the trail before her trying to break through the fog to illuminate the way.

"The doctors have done what they can because we can't risk a hospital," he muttered, "The rest is up to her."

"She's strong to have made it this far," the woman said, "Somewhere she'll find the strength to pull through."

C.J. looked back and forth between them, guided by the timbre of their voices. She felt her strength returning and then ebbing like the tides of an ocean. Her arm ached vaguely and the skin on her face and hands stung. Exhaustion had filled her every cell for a while but now she felt it recede. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. A gentle squeeze, filled with affection and warmth. She didn't need to look for its source.

"Oh Houston…it's you."

He looked at her puzzled as she turned to face him.

"Yeah it's me," he said, "Where have you been hiding?"

She looked down at her hands and saw the angry red cuts wrapped around several of her fingers that still tingled when she moved them gingerly. Something sharp had been in her hands at some point. Something tapered at its tip and very deadly. Her memory searched for the answers but came up empty. Tossing her mahogany hair back, she looked up at Matt.

"He's been looking for me," she said, "The man of my nightmares and I don't want him to find me."

He studied her face and he reached out his hand.

"Come with me."

She hesitated, not wanting to tell him but she slipped his hand in his without thinking. The words about the he man of her nightmares and what he had taken from her wouldn't reach her lips. Then Matt reached out and put his palm on her chest above her breasts.

"He can't take what's here."

Meaning her heart, she realized. But he didn't know that even that part of her had shattered into smaller pieces than fine crystal did when it fell on the ground. She felt as if the man of her nightmares had crushed her spirit as he might a small bird that landed in his hand, ridding it of its song forever.

"Where are you," she asked.

But he didn't tell her. He just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close and buried in the scent of sandalwood and the sea, she closed her eyes and felt peace wash over her. After a while, she opened her eyes and saw nothing but darkness. A trace of him remained with her as she still felt his embrace.

And then she heard the singing.

She walked on the shores of a beach that appeared familiar to her. The foam of the tides curled around her feet as they walked across the packed sand. Behind her loomed the dunes built up by the winds that blew from the sea where she had sat as a child looking out at the endless blue in front of her. But she hadn't been alone. Her father had taken her down to that spot to watch the dolphins splash in the surf and the sailboats heading out for the day. Memories of their trips to the beach had been tucked carefully away in her mind after his death.

But now he stood there as the tide rolled in, waiting for her. She shook her head slightly having made her decision. To follow the voice that split the morning with song.

"I think she's coming around," a voice said.

She felt the touch on her forehead again.

"She certainly is looking better," a woman said, "I think the worst of it's behind her."

Her eyes fluttered and the light replaced the darkness. Bright and blurred at first, the outline of two faces which looked at her. She shifted her position and felt something heavy on one of her wrists.

"Welcome back," a woman said, her smile coming into focus.

C.J. looked around, seeing darkness behind the light shining from the bedside. She lay in bed, covered with a comforter, a pillow tucked beneath her head. She reached for her face with her uninjured hand and felt something rough.

"Those are butterfly stitches," the woman said, "You cut your face up good but it's healing nicely."

C.J.'s eyes narrowed but felt swollen.

"Where…am I?"

The woman looked to be middle aged, but her smile appeared kind and hinting of a quiet strength.

"You're somewhere safe," the woman said, "I'm Thea, remember me, I'm Jonathan's mother."

She remembered having met Thea when she had flown down to Colorado to visit her on a ranch outside a small town. She had been polite and warm but watchful, very protective of her son. But she had embraced C.J. when she had visited with him. C.J. hadn't seen her since she had broken up with Jonathan some years ago. Still, Thea looked like she had remembered her but C.J. didn't understand why she had been sitting by her bedside.

"Jonathan brought you here," Thea said, "It was the safest place he could think of to hide you from the man who hurt you."

C.J. frowned then. Did Thea know about him and how he hunted her still in her dreams even though she thought she had escaped? She thought the river had put enough distance between him and her until she had run into some of his security men in the village about 10 miles downstream not far from where she had hitched a ride. She had hidden in the bushes behind the parking lot where she had called Jonathan on the pay phone when they had arrived, dressed in black and toting guns. One of them, the one with the sadness in his eyes, had looked right at her and she thought he had found her but he turned around and walked away to join the others. They had gotten into a huge SUV and had taken off, and for the first time in a long time, C.J. sighed in relief.

She vaguely remembered Jonathan feeding her a cover story to tell anyone who asked and that was that she had fallen in love at a young age and gotten married to a man who had beaten her. Until the night she decided to escape and to disappear where he couldn't find her. Jonathan had even suggested a new name for her but she couldn't remember it. She would stay at the ranch and blend in with the scenery until they could find a more permanent relocation for her if she agreed to help them locate her kidnapper and agreed to testify against him in court. During that time she would have to cut her relationship ties with everyone in her old life, any friends and family possibly forever if the federal agencies couldn't keep her alive otherwise.

"Where am I," she asked.

Thea smiled.

"Colorado."

C.J remembered that day very well, vividly as if it had just happened and she had just come out of it. But now her life came full circle again and she looked in the face of the man that had lived on the edges of her life and in her dreams for so long. Before he had come and taken so much from her. Matt looked over at her, his eyes saying so much and she nodded slightly at him.

Telling him without words that she was okay.

* * *

Jonathan turned around to look at Scott, who just stared at him without saying anything. The man that he had just killed his own partner to save from death sat waiting for his next move.

Then Jonathan turned around and looked at him again and caught something in his eye that he hadn't seen before. He glared at the attorney who despite everything looked at him smugly.

"What do you know," he said, finally, "What haven't you told me?"

But Scott said nothing.


	100. Chapter 100

The latest chapter of this FF story is up. Thanks for reading and the feedback and I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Matt hadn't ever become accustomed to sitting back and watching the action take place around him but he knew this time he had to wait patiently to act. C.J. had tried to make a deal to secure his freedom even at the cost of her own but he knew she had an ulterior plan. And that his capture had required her to alter their group's master plan. He had to trust her because she knew their captor better than everyone else did. But sitting on his hands while Andre played with her head infuriated him and he fought to restrain himself. He had been trained to withstand the most intense pressure, and so that no enemy of his country could ever secure information from him. That training and the skills it had honed were stretched to the limit now.

The man with the blue eyes nodded.

"I'm satisfied that she is here now," he said, "I will take her into my possession for departure tomorrow morning."

Andre nodded, eying his prize.

"Then our debt is satisfied?"

The man clasped his hands.

"I will contact my boss," he said, "but I believe he will agree with dissolving it."

C.J. looked between the buyer and the seller without moving her head or displaying any emotion at all. She knew to show it would be to show weakness which was deadly in this game. Andre got up and approached her and she tried not to flinch. He stroked her hair.

"She's a real beauty," he said, "and a handful at first but I quickly tamed her."

The man nodded.

"I'll make sure that gets to my boss," he said, "but he does his own training."

Andre looked over at Matt.

"Her weakness is him," he said, "Once he's dead, you'll have to find a new one."

The other man smiled.

"That won't be necessary," he said, "You make sure she watches him die and then bring her to my suite."

The man with the blue eyes left the room and Andre watched him go.

"You should feel privileged my dear," he said, his hand caressing her arm, "He's the top of his trade and only interested in the finest merchandise."

She wanted to pull away from him but she knew she didn't dare. Playing along with him for a while longer, would provide her with their only chance of getting out of here and hopefully bring down Andre's operation in the process. Or better yet, kill him so he could never destroy another woman.

Andre reached into his radio to call his guards.

"We have Mr. Houston here," he said, "It's time for him to die. The woman will watch him as a final going away present."

C.J. looked over at Matt when Andre didn't watch and his gaze met hers and held it for a long moment.

The guards arrived quickly and began to grab them. Andre gestured to Antonio.

"Go on and help them or I'll have them shoot you right here."

Antonio just stared at him a moment and then reached for C.J.'s arm.

"What about the others outside," Andre asked.

One of the guards shrugged.

"We didn't see anyone," he said, "The hallway's empty."

Andre frowned.

"There were others that came with her."

A guard nodded.

"Then we will go find them."

* * *

Jonathan just stared at Scott, who just sat there mutely in front of him flirting with more knowledge he just knew it. But he also knew he couldn't force it out of him as much as he wanted to do it. His bosses who right now sat in air conditioned offices thousands of miles from this place would frown on laying a hand on his protected witness. Scott seemed to know that every time he looked at the marshal.

"You want to kill me don't you," he asked.

Jonathan kept his lips in a thin line, knowing that even to answer at this point would send him down a road he didn't want to go.

"Don't tempt me," was all he said.

Scott read the undercurrent and stopped looking at him, focusing instead on the wall.

"You don't know the whole truth about Andre Duval do you or his father…"

Jonathan shrugged.

"We know what we need to know," he said, "Unless you think otherwise and would like to share why."

Scott shook his head.

"I know how you work witnesses," he said, "and this information isn't free."

Jonathan folded his arms.

"When we round up all your friends at that party," he said, "I'm going to throw you in a cell with them if you don't tell me what you know."

Scott appeared to think about that. Jonathan knew that underneath his arrogance, he must realize he wasn't the most popular person in Andre's crowd right now.

"They have C.J. and Matt," he said, "and if anything happens to either one of them, you're going to prison on capital murder charges."

Scott's mouth opened.

"You can't…"

Jonathan smiled at him.

"Oh yes I can," he said, "I told you already, it's called accessory charges and you can go down as a principal if you don't spill. That was part of the deal before I was forced to kill my partner."

Scott shook his head.

"There's nowhere to hire good help these days."

Oh, Jonathan wanted to knock him through the wall for that but he just stood there looking at sheer arrogance. Scott wasn't evil but he facilitated those in the world who truly were that vein and he pocketed the money without a second thought.

"I'll pull the switch myself," Jonathan said, "Gladly though I'm sure I'll have competition for that honor."

Scott swallowed noisily.

"Okay I'll tell you," he said, "if I get immunity from prosecution."

"I can't give you that," Jonathan said, "I don't have the authority."

Scott leaned back in his chair.

"Then find someone who does…"

Jonathan just looked at him and then did something he swore he'd never do. He stepped forward, balled his fist and smacked the smug attorney so hard in the jaw, he knocked him right out of the chair. Scott laid sprawled at him looking at him in shock.

"Now you feel like talking?"

* * *

C.J. walked forward, her eyes moving around her as she absorbed every detail of where they were taking her. She had learned to do that since she had first been held captive and if she hadn't, she probably never would have escaped. Matt walked quietly with two guards holding onto him. Antonio had his grip on her but said nothing and just looked straight ahead.

Andre had dispatched the guards to look for the rest of the mercenary group and even C.J. had been surprised that they had apparently disappeared from the corridor. How had that happened, and then C.J. remembered. There was another ally involved in this equation and she smiled to herself, so no one could see. The man who had held her captive walked ahead of her and she had to keep her hands at her side to keep them away from his neck so that she could choke the life out of him and release the hold he still had on her.

As if reading her mind, Antonio squeezed her arm harder but she just glared at him quickly.

"I guess Scott won't be joining us," Matt said.

Andre didn't respond.

"I guess that means you're not happy about his absence."

"He will be dealt with soon enough," Andre said, "He just won't die with you."

"That's a shame," Matt said, "I could do you and the world a favor and kill him for you."

A smile curled Andre's lips.

"Ah, you would do that wouldn't you," he said, "because of what he did to betray her."

"Seems he betrayed a lot of people," Matt said, "on all different sides."

C.J. listened to Matt try to whittle away bit by bit at Andre's steel confidence. Matt had a way with his voice where he could throw in just the right easygoing flavor with his more pointed line of questioning. He had disarmed many a bad guy that way through the years but Andre would prove to be much tougher to crack.

She looked to the side and saw Elena standing in the shadows where Andre couldn't see her. The young woman raised her brows and C.J. gave a slight shake of her head and with that, Elena receded again.

They turned into a room with a door that led outside to what looked like a courtyard.

"My men marksmen are waiting outside for you Mr. Houston," he said, "and we'll your friends and they'll join you. There's nowhere to hide in this place."

He pushed Matt towards a chair near a table and Matt sat down. C.J. stood there with the others while Andre circled close to her and grabbed hold of her hair tightly.

"You're lucky I don't still own her or your last sight would be what I was giving her all those nights we shared," he said, his eyes focused on Matt.

Matt had to fight to stay in his chair but he knew when he was being baited to react rashly. Andre wouldn't receive the satisfaction of neutralizing him so easily. But he saw how the words had affected C.J. and had taken her back to that time. Her hands clenched at her side and he knew she struggled with the same impulses that he did, to snuff the life out of the last of the Duvals.

Andre smiled, knowing his point had hit home.

"But in business, a deal is a deal."

"And you pride yourself on being an honorable businessman," Matt said.

Andre shook his head.

"Not on the honorable part because in my line of trade, it doesn't exist," he said, "but then you know that."

Matt did, as he had gotten his first inkling when he had first been working with Too Mean's friends to free the child slaves from the same trafficker he faced now. Before he had even known what this man had done to his lifelong friend.

"You were looking for her the last time our paths crossed," Matt said, "I heard you talk about her getting away from you."

Andre sighed.

"Ah well I couldn't let that happen," he said, "I had no choice but to hire more men to find her."

"You infiltrated the U.S. government…"

"No just an agency or two."

Matt knew about that already. He looked around the room for any signs of the other mercenaries but saw none. C.J. kept her eyes moving around the room as well, even as Antonio still had a tight grip on her arm.

Andre looked over to C.J. who turned to focus her attention on him.

"Well my dear do you have anything to say to him before I take him out to be killed," he asked.

C.J.'s head turned to look at Matt and to him; her eyes held so much that they had shared since they were first met. She moved closer to him and she reached out her hand to touch his face and cupped her fingers around beneath his jaw. He saw tears there and he brushed at them.

"I love you," she whispered.

He smiled and stroked her hair off of her face and then he turned around and faced Marquis.

"Okay, let's stop beating around the bush here," he said, "If you are going to have your men shoot me instead of you, we'd better get it done."

Andre looked at him, his brow raised.

"I'm more than capable of killing you myself," he said.

Matt stepped closer to him.

"Then why don't you do it, right here, right now…"

C.J. looked between the two of them; saw that the determination in Matt's eyes caused a moment of pause in Andre's.

Andre motioned to Antonio.

"Take her out of here," he said, "and have them get her ready for the buyer."

C.J. looked around, not expecting to be separated from Matt but he just gave her a quick nod. So she followed Antonio out of the room without resisting.

"See I took her out of here in case you try anything," Andre said, "I know you'll do anything to save her but you can't. You couldn't stop me from taking her and making her my whore. And you can't stop anyone else from doing that anymore than you can save your own life."

Matt glared at him.

"We'll just see about that."

Andre laughed.

"Oh you're amusing right to the end," he said, gesturing to one of his guards, "Give me your gun."

And the guard nodded and reached in his holster. At that moment, Matt acted and pulled the knife that Elena had given him with his dinner and stabbed the guard with it then he pulled him around and slit his throat in one decisive movement The gun clattered on the floor with the gun and after that, the guard with blood gushing out of his carotid artery and staining the floor.

Andre glanced up in surprise for the first time but didn't look too rattled.

"You surprise me Mr. Houston," he said, as Matt approached him with the knife.

Andre lunged for him suddenly and the fight began.

* * *

Jonathan looked at a bruised Scott still lying on the floor and circled around him.

"So what are you going to keep from me now?"

Scott looked up holding his mouth to check for bleeding as Jonathan nudged him with his leg.

"I…"

Some agents rushed in the room and Jonathan looked up at them.

"What's going on," he asked.

One of them looked down at Scott and then back at Jonathan without raising an eyebrow.

"We just got orders to move in on the Duval party," he said, "The army's sending reinforcements in 30 minutes."

Jonathan digested that news.

"We'd better get a move on."

The agent looked at Scott.

"What about him," he asked.

Jonathan looked at the guards warily, wondering what side he really served in this madness.

"I'll handle him," he said, "I'll join you in a minute."

The agents left and that left Jonathan alone with Scott again.

"Okay are you going to tell me everything you know," he said.

Scott just looked at him and Jonathan reached down and picked him up by his collar and shook him.

"You have one minute…"

Scott finally started sputtering.

"There's something you don't know about Andre and the Duvals."

"Like what and you'd better start talking…"

Scott looked at the exit and decided it might as well be miles away and took a deep breath.

"Marquis sr traveled a lot around the world conducting his business…"

"You mean terrorism."

"Yeah whatever," Scott said, "and he had like the saying goes, women in every port…"

Jonathan grew impatient.

"Yeah we know he had multiple mistresses and at least one illegitimate son, Andre Duval."

Scott shook his head.

"You don't know anything at all…"

Jonathan grew irritated at Scott and wanted to slug him again.

"And what am I supposed to not know?"

Scott looked at him and started chuckling without mirth.

"You know about Andre but you don't know…"

"Don't know what?"

"About the other…."


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101-another chapter is finished. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!

* * *

Matt had received the best training that his government could offer when it came to learning how to fight. Whether it had been behind the power of a gun or using his own body as a weapon, he had been paid to develop and to hone those skills, enough to save his lives or those of the men with him. Even though he worked intelligence, which mostly involved maneuvering behind the scenes, there had been times when the only thing keeping him alive had been what he had been taught in training. Working as an investigator on many difficult and often dangerous cases had kept his skills from becoming rusty and even in that arena; the training had saved his life.

But Andre had obviously been trained too and Matt wondered if it had been by the same government.

They struggled on the ground and Matt discovered just how agile and strong his opponent proved to be, but Matt had his measure as Andre got back on his feet and grabbed Matt to try to slam him through the wall. Matt whirled away dodging Andre's attempts to strike at him, knowing that one blow could end this fight and possibly his life before they had even really gotten started. The knife he had brought with them quickly became lost in the shuffle.

"You're not going to win this fight," Andre said, breathing hard, "You're going to die and then we'll take care of her."

The icy confidence in Andre's voice only propelled Matt to began striking back at Andre with some definitive blows of his own but Andre seemed unfazed. Matt moved off the wall and hit Andre hard on the side of the face and Andre did a roundhouse kick in response, knocking Matt flat on the ground. The blow dazed Matt and then he noticed Andre had stopped, and he hurled his body forward at him and the struggle for life or death continued on the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, Matt could make out the shiny glimmer of his knife which lay out of his reach.

* * *

C.J. walked with the guards to where she would be prepared to be delivered to the suite of the man who worked for the Jaguar. Antonio just walked along side of her, his hand gripping her own saying nothing. The other guard however talked nonstop.

"She's a live one all right," the guard said, "There's another shipment of women going out to South America tomorrow. They're packing them in shipping crates to get past customs."

C.J. grimaced listening to that, knowing that the women would be lucky if they even survived the flight, let alone anything happening after that. Often times, she had heard that entire shipments of women or young children shipped as expendable soldiers had suffocated during those trips while trapped inside these dark crates blanketed only by stifling heat.

"I know that they're expected by their new owners in Bolivia and Peru," Antonio said, "but it'll be days before they reach there unless they have enough currency to expedite their passage."

"Not likely," the guard said, "These buyers work on shoestring budgets and if they weren't buying from our boss, they'd be sailing them in by boat instead of flying."

C.J. couldn't listen to anymore of this business talk between the guards as if she weren't walking between them, held in their grip. About to be taken to be cleaned and fixed up to be presentable for her buyer's representative. She hoped he meant it when he said that he wouldn't touch her but she wouldn't put it past him to use her that way before the flight tomorrow, to do what was in the trade called sampling the merchandise. After all, how would his boss ever know what he'd done and if she said anything, she might get killed.

She wondered about Matt, before they had gotten too far, she had heard a loud noise as if something hit the floor. Antonio had pulled at her arm when she had paused to listen to it, wondering if Matt had tried to escape. Now she knew that he wouldn't let anyone execute him without trying to resist but would he be able to overwhelm Andre?

"We're almost there," the guard said as they turned the corridor.

"I don't think so," Antonio answered suddenly as he grabbed the guard from behind and snapped his neck quickly with nary a struggle from the unsuspecting man.

C.J. just stared at him.

"I can't keep track of where your loyalties lie."

He just stared at her back without blinking as he prepared to drag the dead man away.

"They are to my sister," he said, "and I need your help to get her out of here."

C.J. reached down to help him move the man to what looked like a storage room.

"I saw her a while back," she said, "but I don't know where she's at now."

"We have to find her…"

C.J. didn't budge.

"We have to find Houston and help him," she said, "and also the others."

Antonio opened the door to the small room.

"He can take care of himself," he said, "or die trying."

C.J. swallowed noisily at the idea of that. She would never accept it.

"We'll do both," she said, helping him drag and dump the man inside the room.

He looked at her a long moment and then finally nodded.

"We'd better get going then…"

* * *

Jonathan looked at Scott who still lay bruised and bleeding on the floor. He had about a minute to look at his face before he would be joining the rest of the dragnet to meet up with the armed forces who would be crashing Andre's dinner party with a coordinated offensive.

"What do you mean the other," Jonathan said, "You mean he's got another blood relative."

Scott looked at him and nodded.

"I wasn't supposed to know but I found out," he said, "It might be what's kept me alive this long because I was able to help Andre in other ways besides getting him C.J."

Jonathan folded his arms.

"Who is this person?"

"How much is the information worth to you," Scott said, "Like I said, if you give me immunity I'll tell you."

"There's ways we could find this out on our own."

Scott shook his head.

"Not likely," he said, "Very few people left alive actually know the truth that Marquis Duval Sr. sired another child."

Jonathan sighed, thinking that was exactly what they didn't need right now, another Duval running around with the apparently inherited potential to cause mayhem and leave trails of death and violence. Two of them, father and his namesake, locked up behind bars with one of them dying while the illegitimate son had essentially outdone them both in the lives he destroyed. But the idea of another one in the mix, one whose identity remained unknown, who could potentially be even more deadlier and destructive, he didn't even want to imagine it

"Cat got your tongue I see," Scott said, smiling despite the blood flowing from his mouth, "You should see how you look right now."

Jonathan gritted his teeth, his hand inching towards his gun. No he couldn't, absolutely not as it would go against his training and his value system honed by his service to the government that he had sworn allegiance to defending years ago. But he thought about it, just shooting the man in front of him, the piece of gutter trash between the eyes, because after all, there were no witnesses. He could just shoot him, spill his blood over the floor and then write it up as something different. Except…that he couldn't and that angered him even more. All he could do was look at him one more time and walk out of the room without looking back.

* * *

Matt wrestled with Andre who had also seen the knife. The man's expression had changed the moment his eye caught it and Matt knew he couldn't let his fingers get even closer. If Andre got the knife, then Matt probably wouldn't walk away from this and he had to stop the other trafficker from taking C.J. because once she got on that plane, she'd disappear into a world that subsisted mostly underground. After all, Matt hadn't been fully aware that slavery still existed in the modern day world until he had met up with Too-Mean's mercenary friends and he hadn't learned the full extent of it until he found out what had happened to C.J. while he'd been away.

Andre delivered some more blows but Matt ignored them even though the pain reverberated through him, he had to do that because she needed him. Because she had already experienced enough horror and pain in her life already to go through it all over again, this time with little hope of escape. The man that tried to kill him now had seen to that, even as he had been the one to steal her from her life and forced her into living as a commodity to be bought and sold. Trying to take away her humanity and those of the other women enslaved. Every time he tried to envision what she had gone through, the pain stopped him. He could only imagine what it must have been like to actually live it.

Matt dodged a blow that would have hit his jaw and rolled out of the path of the next one, moving further away from his knife. If only he could…then he could just aim for one of three spots on Andre's body which would cause him to bleed out in a matter of seconds. Whatever vulnerability that his enemy left unguarded, would be the one.

Matt doubted that the world would miss him.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio picked the guard of his guns and then left him as they went back in the hallway. Now both of them were armed and ready to shoot anyone who approached them.

"We've got to get Houston first," she said, "then we'll find his friends and they can help us get to Elena."

Antonio didn't look as if he liked her plan.

"I want to find my sister," he said, "I need to find her."

"I know," C.J. said, "but if Andre's had her go some place where we can't reach her or if she's hidden herself, we might need reinforcements."

He appeared to consider that and reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, that is if Matt is still even alive."

C.J. felt for sure that he hadn't been killed because she believed that if he had been, she'd somehow know it. But she knew they had to find him fast before that reality changed.

* * *

Matt and Andre still fought and Matt felt his energy began to flag. He had been endurance trained along with honing both his strength and his speed in preparation for this task but he found his muscles aching and that it was getting harder to find his breath. He looked over for the knife and began to maneuver himself closer to it, wiggling his fingers but they just brushed it, moving it further away. Andre had grabbed a hold of him and Matt could tell that he was showing signs of fatigue as well. Matt inched further to reach the knife when suddenly he felt something click after Andre rolled off back onto his feet.

He looked up from where he lay and saw that Andre had drawn a firearm and pointed it right at him.


	102. Chapter 102

Another installment of this super long, long FF story. Hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

Jonathan headed out to the car, with Rhonda following right behind him.

"Where are you going now," she asked.

He didn't stop walking.

"We're moving this operation out," he said, "The reinforcements have arrived and it's time to break up this party."

They continued onward to where a small group of men waited for him.

"What about Matt and C.J. and the others?"

Jonathan sighed.

"These men will know the difference between the good and the bad in there," he said, "but they're going to hit that place hard."

He got inside the backseat of the car. She looked back at the building they had just left.

"What about Scott?"

"They'll be some agents coming to pick him up pretty soon," he said, "They still need that miserable ass as a witness."

She just looked at him as the car prepared to drive him away.

"Take care of yourself," she said, "Whatever happens bring them and yourself back alive."

He couldn't promise her anything let alone that anyone would survive this but he nodded anyway.

"You still owe me dinner," he said, suddenly.

She looked at him in surprise and then she nodded, touching the window after it closed, separating the two of them. The car moved away and she stood there watching it grow smaller as it headed towards Andre's compound.

* * *

Matt looked up to see Andre pulling a gun on him.

"I didn't think winning a fight this way was your style."

He moved himself into a sitting position very slowly watching as Andre's expression on his face never changed, his dark eyes never blinked. If you took the man's pulse, it probably would be unchanged from when they had been sitting in two chairs engaging in mental games.

"I have no need for you anymore," he said, "I've got what I want and my debt with the Jaguar's been cleared."

Matt knew that C.J. had been Andre's means of paying off what he owed his trafficking partner. That right now she remained locked up somewhere in this compound waiting until the morning when she would be loaded on one of the flock of Lear Jets at the airport and taken to parts unknown. If that happened, then he might never find her…even though he would never stop looking. Andre knew that about him, having done his research to find his quarry's weaknesses that could be used to keep her imprisoned more effectively than chains or even a fully secured cell. The young man had obviously inherited that skill from his terrorist father who had used it so effectively to try to force Matt to spring his legitimate son from a jail cell. But Marquis sr. had failed and his other son would fail as well.

Now all he had to do was to get out of this situation, to overcome the man who looked as if he were about to pull that trigger. He looked past Andre and saw Novelli standing at the doorway and there were no guards around him.

He nodded slightly when Andre's attention was focused elsewhere and Novelli responded in kind. Andre saw the expression on Matt's face.

"There's no escape," he said, "You are going to die."

As he raised the gun and his finger began to squeeze the trigger, a dozen thoughts flooded Matt's head and visions of his life, from the time he had been a little boy tagging after his daddy, to the time he spent imprisoned by a man kidnapping him for ransom, time spent on the football field…he had to push them away and focus on the one that drove him strongest down to his marrow and that was that before anyone killed him, he had to find her and make sure to set her free. Because as long as he lived, there was no way C.J. was going to have the future that a man had just paid for.

Suddenly a man ran in and Andre looked up at him.

"She escaped…"

Andre didn't betray any surprise but Matt noticed his hand that held the gun trembled slightly.

"Go and find her," he said, "She couldn't have gotten far and bring her back here so she can watch him die."

Matt propped his hands on the floor ready to spring up until Andre gestured with his gun.

"On your feet," he said, "When they bring her back, I'll kill you then so she'll know the consequences of her actions."

Matt wondered why Andre hadn't figured that C.J. didn't have anything to lose by trying to escape, doing anything to avoid her future that had been forced on her. She had been through a nightmare already and had no desire to return. He hoped he hid herself well and didn't think about anything but getting herself away from here.

"She'll come back looking for you," Andre said, "You're her weakness after all."

"I don't think so Andre," Matt said, "I think she's going to escape like she did from your other compound."

Andre didn't respond to that probably remembering that she had done just that and he hadn't known that she had escaped until he had returned from his business trip to find that Piser had been nowhere to be found and he had been told that he wouldn't be coming back.

But he had when the box that contained his remains had washed up on the shore not too far away from the river that had carried C.J. away from his compound to freedom.

Matt watched carefully as indecision flickered on his adversary's face.

* * *

C.J. ran down the corridors with Antonio one step behind her, looking for Matt. She knew that he could be dead already executed by Andre or his guards but she refused to believe that he had been killed. Not after everything they had been through together. She turned a blind hallway and hoped no guards waited. Suddenly she heard footsteps and Antonio grabbed her arm, tucking them both in an alcove.

"They've got to be somewhere," one guard said, "She couldn't have gotten far."

"We'll find her," the other said, "and we'll bring her back to him."

And just like that, C.J. flashed back to that other night when she had been lying beneath the brush, her body pressed against the mud while she heard the voices approach and saw pairs of boots walk around where she lay in dead silence only inches away. She had held her breath forever it seemed until the boots disappeared and the rain forest became silent again. Her wrist had already began to swell where it had been broken and her muscles cramped while she drew some careful breaths, counting to ten to give her extra time to assess as to where the men had gone. Minutes later, she had slithered out from the brush and started running again.

Now she couldn't run, she just hid with Antonio positioning his arm against her to make them take up less space, to better fit in with the background as several guards had gone past them. She hoped that more wouldn't follow but realized that now that they had known she had escaped and that Antonio probably helped her, they would have to be much more careful when searching for Matt and the others.

But she had to save him, to stop Andre from killing him so she moved away from Antonio and started looking up and down the juncture of corridors trying to decide which one to take that would help her find her way back to where she had last seen him.

Andre no doubt would be with him, but she would have to deal with that when she found Matt. Antonio pulled on her arm.

"Wait…I know you want to find Matt but we have to be careful," he said.

"We will be," she said, "but we might not have much time."

"If Andre knows that you've escaped, he won't kill him."

C.J. considered that and realized that Antonio could be right if Matt was the leverage that Andre continued to use against her just as he had done when he had first kidnapped her. Any time she had thought about refusing his demands or resisting him, he had thrown a recently taken photo of Matt in her face. Matt would be killed in some foreign country and left there to be rot if she didn't allow him access to her body.

"He'll use him to get you back," he said, "The best thing you can do for him now is to stay hidden."

She considered that and slowly nodded.

"Okay then let's go look for Elena," she said, walking down the corridor.

He hurried to keep up with her.

* * *

Matt looked up again and saw Novelli and what looked like Brady outside the door. They had hidden when the guards had left Andre to go find C.J. who he hoped had placed herself in a position not to be found. But he knew how that Andre wouldn't kill him as long as he needed him as bait to try to lure her out of hiding.

"You have your reprieve," Andre said finally, "but it won't be long."

Andre didn't drop the gun and Matt approached him, testing his resolve carefully. Every step closer that he got…

The man with the blue eyes entered the room, looking outraged.

"I was waiting for her to be brought to me and then there's news that she escaped?"

Andre looked at the man who stood before him, his composure fading.

"Calm down," he said, "before you call him to give him the news. My men will find her. There's no place for her to go."

"You'd better snatch her back up quickly or I will call my boss and tell him."

Andre didn't want the Jaguar to get wind that he had allowed such a prize to slip out of his grasp. He knew that his partner wouldn't take that news well at all and might lean on his share of the business even more than he had already.

"I'll get her back and I'll include another woman in the deal."

The man smiled.

"You know which one we want…"

But Andre's eyes hardened and his posture tensed.

"You can't have her," he said, "but I'll include one of the women in the shipment we received earlier."

The man considered that and nodded.

"I'll take a look at them after the excitement is over."

Matt just studied the both of them negotiate over women like they were property including his best friend. And right then, he wanted to kill the both of them, ridding the world of two such loathsome human beings. He thought of all the ways he wanted to do it, including through the various ways he had been trained. The ways he had killed while in the military.

But if he tried that now, they would kill him and he would die not being able to help C.J. escape and that stopped him in his tracks when the temptation to carry out his thoughts threatened to overtake him. But as soon as he knew she was safe, Andre would belong to him. Whenever he looked at him, he thought about what he had done to her, how he had tried to break her and then ruthlessly hunt her down when she got away.

And how even though he had found her, she wasn't the woman he had known when he had left town those months ago. But a survivor fighting to find her way back, whose real battle would begin after she left here.

If she did get away.

He knew he had to survive to be there for her during her struggle just as she had done so many times for him. Because he loved her.

* * *

C.J. thought about him while she and Antonio searched for his sister who had disappeared when the uproar had started. They looked down different corridors cautious for any signs of the guards but saw none. Still they had to be out there looking for her just as they had at the other compound.

She tried to focus on her search, tried not to think about the other women locked up awaiting a life that would be nothing but an endless nightmare until they finally died including at their own hands. But she couldn't shut out her thoughts about Matt. She kept reminding herself that as long as Andre couldn't find her, he couldn't afford to kill him.

"You thinking about him?"

She didn't bother to deny it but kept walking.

"You can't you know," he said, "You'll get distracted, lose your edge and we're going to need everything we have to find everyone and get out of here."

"You worry about yourself and I'll worry about me."

"Not if what you're thinking endangers our plan," he countered.

"And you're not thinking about Elena?"

He looked torn then.

"I do…but I tuck all those thoughts away where they can't do damage," he said, "I'm trained to do that."

"I've learned to do that," she said, "but I didn't want him dead because I didn't let Andre use me. I could survive that…even though I didn't want to sometimes…but not being responsible for killing Houston."

"They would have done it," Antonio said, "They'd just done it quietly and he wouldn't have known what hit him or who…but you can't think about that or him right now."

She nodded.

"Okay, I'll stop thinking about him if you keep Elena out of your head," she said, "At least until we bring all of this crashing down."

"You've got yourself a deal," Antonio said, "Now let's go find her."

* * *

Elena hid in the corridor as the guard brought a woman who appeared drugged to the room where one of the guests stayed. The door opened and she was forced inside, not really aware of what had happened. The man turned towards the guards.

"Why don't you come in and sample the merchandise," he said, "It's the least we can do for the trouble you've gone through."

The two guards looked at each other.

"Consider it a fringe benefit?"

Elena watched and listened from where she was hiding, horror slicing through her body like chilled water as the two men followed the man inside the room. She knew what would happen to the woman, what had happened to other women. After all, she had been standing in a similar place when the guards had brought C.J. that first night. But she had told herself it couldn't possibly be true that the man who had plucked her out of slavery had engaged in it himself.

She slipped back into the corridor putting what she had witnessed out of her mind, determined to find the others to do whatever she could to help them.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103-another installment of this FF. I hope you enjoy it, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

Jonathan made it to the command post just a mile away from where the compound stood and he watched the activity carefully after getting out of the car. He greeted the others with a nod but stood apart from them, not knowing who to trust. Behind every face could lie an ally or another traitor and the fact that they appeared to work for the same government that he did mattered little.

He had reassured Rhonda back there that when the forces raided Andre's compound, they would know who to go after and who to save. But he didn't know how much he believed that given that he no longer could tell the two apart only to know that not everyone had been on the same side since this all started with a phone call he received from an ex-girlfriend.

No, the division of loyalties had begun even before that.

A couple of men who looked like military walked up to him and asked him for identification and he mindlessly reached into his pocket fishing out his federal badge. They cast him funny looks before looking at one another and he looked down at his own clothes.

Noticing for the first time the splashes of blood that had belonged to his partner.

Someone who looked as if he were in charge came up to them and gestured them over to an even larger group of dark suits mixed with green uniforms standing near a military vehicle.

"We're meeting to discuss our next move at 23 hundred."

Jonathan looked at his watch, fifteen minutes from now.

* * *

Matt watched as Andre had offered the other trafficker a woman he had just received in a shipment and his stomach recoiled. But he pushed all that away to focus on Andre who still had his gun in his hand as he talked shop with the man representing his business partner, the one who know owned his best friend. He knew as much as he wanted to do so, he couldn't take down both of them so he focused on Andre the man who he been watching carefully waiting for that moment of weakness.

The split second when he wouldn't be waiting for him.

"If I like one of them, I'll take her along with the other," the man said, "If I don't…"

Andre sighed.

"I'll come up with the difference in cash."

"I'm not sure you'll have enough," the man said, "You're already in debt to us for that lost shipment six months ago."

"You can't have her," Andre said, "and that's final."

The man folded his arms.

"My boss might have something different to say about that…if he's not satisfied."

"He's got…"

The man nodded.

"The one who you followed all these years," the man said, "The one you killed over and over without even touching her."

Matt looked up, remembering now the trail of dead bodies that had followed Andre, all young women with long brunette hair. But he didn't believe that it had been C.J. he had been killing, more likely someone else who had angered or disappointed him.

Because even C.J. had been a stand in for someone else.

Some of those women had been found in Boston when C.J. had been in law school, others in L.A. when they had lived out there. The string of mysterious and seemingly unrelated deaths had befuddled Novelli when he had been in the LAPD and later on when he retired; Hoyt had scratched his head when they had discovered another one.

But no one had ever solved the mystery of who had stolen their lives.

Andre dismissed the man and turned back to Matt.

"You know who he wanted don't you?"

Matt nodded carefully.

"The one named Elena," he said, "The hostess of your party."

"They've had their eye on her since they first saw her," Andre said, "Your friend is payment to keep them happy and focused elsewhere and she will be very useful to them."

Andre had pointed his gun back at Matt and it didn't waver but he could tell that the reality that he had someone he had wanted to protect from his own business affected the man. Not that he cared but it could be a weakness that perhaps he could exploit.

"Now that this is settled," Andre said, "I'm afraid that Mr. Houston, this is where we part ways."

His face was expressionless as he gestured for Matt to move outside.

"I don't want to mess up my nice rug," he said, "It's custom made and imported from Brazil."

Matt just stared at him.

"My men are looking for her and they will find her quickly enough," Andre said, "And looking at your dead body will suffice enough to keep her in line."

Matt just thought that wasn't going to happen and his mind worked quickly just as it had been trained to do. He had honed that skill the past few years as an investigator working with C.J. on dozens of cases, without realizing it. The room didn't yield much that could help him so he would have to leave it and to do that, he would have to get past a man possessing many of the same highly polished skills.

"It's almost a shame it has to end this way…"

Matt looked past Andre and saw Vince standing there.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio went to look for Elena but neither could figure out where the young woman had gone. She knew that Antonio had been right in that she had to stay out of sight and keep Andre or his men from finding her. If they did that, then Matt was as good as dead and she couldn't let that happen. She knew that Andre still had him captive but she knew that her friend would prove to be more than a handful to him, even more than he could handle.

"I would have thought we'd have found her by now," Antonio said, after they had looked in some rooms.

"Could she be hiding?"

He shrugged.

"I'm not sure she has reason to do so yet."

C.J. didn't think so either knowing the special fondness that Andre as evil as he was, had for the young woman who had been living and working with him since she had been a little girl. But she knew that Elena had begun questioning the man who had played an important role in her life once the truth about him unfolded.

Elena had always been a calming presence when she had been locked up in her cell in between visits from the man who sought to break her and remold her into someone else. If it hadn't been for her…C.J. knew she would have had to find another way to survive when her reserves flagged as they had as each day had passed. She had taken care of her when she had been captive and covered for her when she had escaped.

Without Andre being any the wiser.

She and Antonio searched a couple more rooms for her but only quiet darkness met them.

"We'll find her….she won't end up like Sierra," she told him.

That had been his other sister, the one he had traveled the world trying to save but who had been killed after she had escaped, not long before C.J.'s own abduction in that parking garage. She still saw her when she slept even though she hadn't known her and knew that he had too.

"She's going to leave with me…with us."

He seemed resolute in his words but C.J. knew they were all a long way from freedom which had been sealed off from them by much more than stone walls and a line of guards.

"Where are the other traffickers?"

Antonio looked down an empty corridor.

"They're handling the women they have purchased," he said.

C.J. felt the horror inside her as she always did, and the futility of knowing that there was little they could do to help them unless they brought at least this corner of Andre's operation down. But they couldn't do it alone, they would need outside reinforcements for that and she had no idea where they were right now. As far as she could tell, they were on their own.

"They won't last long," he said.

She knew he spoke of the captive women.

"No they won't," she said, "Unless they find something outside of what's here to focus on."

For her, that had been Matt even though she didn't know where he had been most of the time, as the pictures that Andre tormented her with offered little clues to his geographic location. He didn't want her to know that much, just that his men could kill her friend at any time with one phone call if she didn't obey him.

"Like you did," he said.

She nodded slowly.

"There are times I still don't remember what happened," she said, "but the times that I do, if it hadn't been for him and wanting to see his face again, I don't know how I would have survived."

"You're a strong woman; you would have made it anyway."

Maybe, she thought but she wouldn't have survived the shell that Andre had turned her into if she hadn't had something to grab onto when the swift currents threatened to overtake her, submerging her in an icy despair. She would lay on her bed after Andre left, her tears drying on her cheeks and her arms wrapped around her thinking about him, his arms around her holding her close to him to listen to the soothing rhythm of his heart. And after a while, she slept as the shadows danced in the room around her. Memories of happier days, safer times when she had felt secure in the knowledge that she had been loved.

That had gotten her through the nightmare, nurturing her strength until it had been enough to escape, teaching her to ride the currents to freedom rather than fight them and sink beneath the waves.

But what did these women think of right now, the first horrifying hours of realizing that they had been snatched out of their worlds and thrust into another where they had become a piece of property to be bought and sold between wealthy men.

Antonio stopped walking.

"What is it," she said.

"Someone's coming…"

"Is it Elena?"

He shook his head.

"I don't think so."

* * *

Matt looked up at Andre who had tried to get him to go outside so he could execute him there. But Matt had refused to move buying himself some time as he looked around the room for anything to help him. Novelli and at least Brody remained outside the doorway out of Andre's line of sight waiting to help him.

But first Matt would have to shift the balance of power inside the room.

"I could kill you in here and send the rug out to be cleaned," Andre said.

Matt poised ready to jump, to return this battle of wills between the two men to a physical competition. But another man rushed into the room.

"One of the guards spotted Antonio walking down a corridor with that woman," he said.

Andre shook his head.

"Traitor to the end, I see."

"I've tried to call for the guards but I couldn't reach them."

"I'd better handle it myself."

He started to leave and then turned around to face Matt.

"I have to take care of some unfinished business first," he said.

He pointed his gun at Matt.

"Goodbye Mr. Houston," he said.

He pulled the trigger.


	104. Chapter 104

The latest chapter is up, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!

* * *

The sun shone on the horizon, highlighting the different shades of pinks and orange that defined the sky where it touched the ocean. Matt stood on the deck looking out at the waves created by his boat splitting the water into two parts as it traveled towards that horizon that never seemed to get any closer.

Later, C.J. laughed on the deck after he had poured her a glass of Chardonnay as they took in the view of the sun setting after the end of a day spent on the water miles away from any land. They had taken this trip on his father's favorite yacht named after Matt's mother after they had returned to L.A. from Texas where they had buried Matt's father right next to her. C.J. had stood behind Matt while he had shed countless tears where he could afford them in private surrounded by her loving embrace.

It had been her idea to take the boat out for one final sail before he put it on the market. His father had taken him deep sea fishing onboard it several times including a couple trips where they had moored someplace overnight and ate dinner, watching the dolphins play around the boat. It had been the time when Matt had felt closest to his father since he had been a little boy. Bill had loved C.J. like a daughter, hoping all the time that she would officially join his family someday.

"So you really going to sell her," C.J. asked joining him by the rail.

He nodded.

"She was never really mine…"

"Houston, she could be if you'd let her," C.J. said, slipping her arm in with his, "She's your father's last gift to you."

"But I can't know her like he did," Matt said, "What she likes and what she doesn't…whether she likes the gulf waters better."

"You could learn together...and find your own way to make it work…as if she were a woman you loved."

Her hair had blown back in the sea breeze off of her earnest face as they stood there together.

"She's as temperamental as any woman…"

"Houston…she's beautiful, she's spirited and you know that's what drew you to her like it did your father…the idea of teaching your own children someday about how to fall in love on the ocean."

She had placed an arm around her shoulder and he saw what she did, the hope of the future and not just memories of the past.

He had thought about what she had said and in the end he hadn't sold her after all.

* * *

Matt saw the flash of the gun in Andre's hand even before he heard the shot. He had honed his body so that he could react quickly to danger and a split second later, he had rolled over behind a chair that splintered from first one shot and then a second one, or a third?

He felt the sting of something strike his shoulder but didn't know what had hit him, because it hadn't been the sensation of a missile slamming into flesh and bone. He didn't see Andre but he heard the click of footsteps on the floor approaching him and the clicking sound connected with his gun as if he were preparing to fire. Matt sensed that Andre was planning to finish him off with a final shot to the head and he mentally counted the steps coming towards him.

"Andre, someone's seen her," a second voice called from the doorway, "one of the guests."

The footsteps stopped as if Andre weighed what actions to take next. Matt knew he had two choices, to make sure that he had killed Matt shooting him again if necessary or to believe that in all likelihood he did and to leave him to go find C.J. and Antonio. He remained motionless in the floor, sweat breaking out on the back of his neck as he waited for Andre to make his choice. Would it mean life or death for himself, Matt wondered.

He couldn't die like this executed while lying on the floor. If he did, what would happen to C.J. and her chances of escaping from Andre? No way in hell could she be condemned to the future Andre had outlined for her, the one he had tried to ensure through a business transaction. He had watched her fight and struggle to come out of hell already to find her way back to herself and to him. No way was anyone sending her back there.

Dying now wasn't an option but what to do, he had to think quickly if Andre walked over to him, and why looking down at his prone body, fired a shot at him.

"Andre…we've got to find them," another voice pressed.

Matt heard a sigh come from Andre who had to be standing close to him and finally he heard the footsteps again, this time moving away from him. He remained quiet on the ground a while longer, fighting not to wipe the sweat that dripped into his eyes, to keep his hands still and from shaking.

Vince came running up to him with Brady.

"Man I thought he was going to shoot you," he said, "Were you hit?"

"I don't think so," he said, "I'm not bleeding out but it does sting so maybe it just nicked me."

Vince shook his head.

"You're damn lucky then," he said, "Come on, we'll go find C.J. and figure out what to do next."

Matt nodded and the three of them left the room where a few splotches of blood soaked into the tightly wound fibers of the Brazilian rug.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio tried to find a place to retreat until the unknown person had passed by them but they couldn't find any place except for a tiny alcove where they leaned against the wall in the shadows.

"It's a couple of traffickers," Antonio said finally.

C.J. felt rage fill her but knew she had to keep it in check as they approached. They were dressed in Armani and wore expensive watches and jewelry.

"I had my eyes on that young thing with the green eyes," one of them said, "but they told me you had claimed her first for your boss."

The other man shrugged.

"I'll sell her to you for 200 grand or you can trade me my pick of two of your women," he said.

The other man gasped.

"That's pretty steep don't you think?"

"They're young…"

Antonio put his hand on C.J. and she shook it off angrily.

"You can't get them back this way," he said, "There's too many of them here. "

"They deserve to die the worst kind of death," she said, "And if I have the chance, I'll give it to them."

"We have to find Elena and the others and then we'll figure out what to do next," he said.

She eyed him sharply.

"How do I know you won't switch sides again?"

"You don't know…you have to trust."

She shook her head.

"I don't have to do anything," she said, "Houston…Vince and Brady, those are who I trust and I have to find them."

"We will…or they'll find us."

They saw that the hallway looked empty again so they started walking. The last time she had seen Matt, Andre had been planning to kill him. Had he done that, or had Matt gotten away? She refused to believe that he had been killed but she had to find him, to see for herself.

To hold him, then she would believe they were both still among the living.

* * *

Matt and Vince ducked against a wall while Andre passed by with two of his guards. Matt winced as he felt his shoulder tighten.

"Where are they going," Brady asked.

"To find C.J.," Matt said, "She got away from them."

"Probably trying to find us," Vince said, "If she managed to drop that traitor Antonio. I still don't trust him."

Neither did Matt but there wasn't much he could do about it now. If Antonio still remained with C.J., Matt hoped he hadn't betrayed her yet again. But Matt would never warm to the guy for his role in turning C.J. over to Andre months ago and then walking away from what happened to her. No, he didn't want the guy near him because he still felt like killing him. And if Antonio turned on them again, he would get that chance. If so, he would do the job without thinking twice about it.

"Houston, you have to let it go with Antonio until we know for sure," Vince cautioned.

"I'm doing that Vince but I'm like you, I don't trust anything about him."

He and the others continued down the darkened hallway.

* * *

Andre and the guards continued down the hall, nearly colliding with Elena who had changed out of her evening gown into her work uniform of pants and a long sleeved shirt.

"Elena, what are you doing here?"

She hesitated looking at him.

"I felt restless…the party was a great success no?"

He smiled at her.

"You did an outstanding job Elena…as usual."

She didn't seem too sure of that.

"All this excitement…I heard gunshots…what's happening?"

He reached out to stroke her face.

"It's nothing…just business…you can retire early if you'd like or join me on the terrace later."

She tilted her head.

"Andre, you wouldn't keep it from me if there were anything bad happening…"

"Why would you think that Elena," he asked, "I've told you everything that happens in business…except the mundane."

She appeared skeptical.

"What's going to happen to that young woman…the one who stayed in Washington?"

Andre hesitated.

"She's going to be leaving us in the morning," he said, "with one of the guests."

"I thought you cared about her," she said, "You had told me she was your novia."

Andre sighed.

"Nothing lasts forever Elena," he said, "You need to realize that's a cardinal rule of life especially in our world."

"And which world is that?"

He smiled, looking at the guards.

"My you're filled with questions tonight," he said, "Anything troubling you?"

She didn't say anything else or ask any more questions. She just looked at him as they walked down the hallway.

* * *

Matt led Vince and Brady down yet another hallway, one that had been filled with many doors. Similar to where he had been held when he first arrived. He knew that other women were being held prisoner here and would soon be sent to work as slaves elsewhere in the world, being loaded onto jets and leaving Sapphire Island when the sun appeared above the horizon.

If he didn't act quickly, C.J. would be among them.

What he needed to do was to find a way to stop it all from happening.

"I wonder where she went," Vince asked, "She must be hiding somewhere."

"We'll find her," Matt said as they kept walking.

Every so often, he rubbed his shoulder absently.


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter 105-the latest of this very, very long FF story is up! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

Elena had watched Andre as he walked away from her with the other men in the direction of where the women were being held. She had walked with him in silence until he finally left her at her office where she worked during the day. He had explained to her that he had business to conduct and would see her later to go over the receipts. But she knew that he searched for C.J. who had gone missing at some point with her brother, Antonio.

Her long-lost brother who she barely remembered had searched all over the world for her. He had left the family and been conscripted in the military when she had been sold away. Just like she barely remembered what her mother looked like, except the sadness that she wore on her face the last day Elena saw her.

As for her father, he had brokered the deal that had led to her winding up with Andre to work first as a domestic but eventually as he grew to know and trust her, as his personal assistant. He had always taken good care of her and she had looked to him for guidance and protection. But without knowing what he really did for a living. She carried out a lot of the administrative and clerical side of his work without knowing that he had been involved in trafficking humans just like the men who had taken her from her family and village.

But she had been a domestic who had done backbreaking chores when she had been so little, which hadn't fazed her much because even as a little girl, she worked hard to help her family. She had no memories of a life without work, whether it had been cleaning house or spending hours tending the garden plots. Her hands had born calluses as long as she'd remembered, never having seen them smooth and soft.

Even now, they still remained marked by her childhood. Just as the women around her had been marked in other ways even before they arrived.

The women who Andre purchased weren't domestic workers; they were purchased for the sexual trade and abused by many of the men who bought them even before they were transported by boat or plane to their new owners. She had been sheltered from it, she knew now but her eyes had been opened.

When she had first brought food to C.J., she saw the same look on her face as she saw in these women. As if those eyes had seen something truly horrible, like the men and women back home when faced with civil uprisings or wars that tore villages apart and turned neighbor against neighbor. She saw a different kind of violence in her new world where women were bought and sold into sexual slavery, many to work in bordellos in different places around the world. But some of the traffickers had saved a woman or two for themselves.

And for Andre, that had been C.J.

Even though at first Elena had believed that the woman she met had been in a relationship with Andre, the guards said, she soon believed that hadn't been true. That she had been taken just as Elena had been from her village and brought here against her will. Forced to do things she would never forget, to stay alive while she slowly died inside.

But one night, she had gotten away and had been standing over the bleeding body of Piser watching his life drain away when Elena arrived. Their eyes met as C.J. remained there holding one arm close to her side, in the other she held a bloodstained letter opener which she dropped to the floor.

And then she ran and that's when Elena knew she had to help her as she heard the footsteps of the guards approach.

Just like she knew months later and thousands of miles away, she had to do it again.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio entered a new hallway, where the screams that she heard earlier had ended. The women that were to be shipped out of the compound tomorrow at the same time as her had been sedated for the night. Most of them after facing more abuse from the men who controlled their every movement now.

It had been hard to listen knowing she had to pretend it wasn't happening. To continue to focus on her mission and to not respond. Just as no one had responded when it had been her lying on the ground, battered with her clothes torn of her and her mind ripped apart. Her bruised body pressed against the cold tiled floor after Andre had introduced her to a new world where she ceased to exist as the woman she'd known her whole life. She looked at Antonio walking alongside her now and she hated him for that. That part she could never forget nor forgive that he had walked her down to Andre and just handed her over like that.

If she hadn't needed him, she might have killed him. She certainly had practiced that many times in her head. But she had to find Matt hoping that he had gotten away from Andre and joined the others to try to find a way out and she needed Antonio to help her do that. And then they had to find Elena.

But she didn't know what to do about the other women held prisoner here. Except in the hopes of breaking up Andre's party, it might mess up the traveling schedules for more than a few of them in the morning. Maybe it wouldn't be just them. If Jonathan and the other agents were on the island, maybe they had a plan of attack and the reinforcements to launch it.

"I don't see anything here."

She looked at him sharply.

"They're called women Antonio," she said, "and if I can come back and help them…"

He cut her off.

"If you do that, then you'll surely join them."

"Maybe you could help your old boss out with that and he'll let you rejoin his fold."

Antonio just shook his head.

"I came here to get my sister out," he said, "You know that. I'm not leaving without her."

"But if I get away and she doesn't," she said, "Then you know what will happen."

That Elena would be getting on the plane as the property of the man who had taken C.J. as part of that deal with his partner in her stead. And she didn't want that to happen to a young woman who had risked much to help her.

"Maybe they killed him already."

"I would know if they did," she said, "He's probably in here somewhere looking for us."

"Andre's not going to make it that easy for him," Antonio reminded her.

She knew that, if Andre had the choice to kill Matt, he would have done it. After all, his life didn't mean anything to the trafficker except to hold over her head to get her to do what he wanted. And for weeks he had done that, when he had his men follow Matt on his travels over the world. Always one step behind him or outside the window of the places that he ate or slept, awaiting the phone call from Andre to kill him if C.J. refused him. The fear along with the need to know that he lived out there somewhere had been enough to ensure that she would allow Andre access to her body until she could escape him.

And with her loose out in the world, Andre couldn't afford to harm Matt.

C.J. had tried to listen for the gunshots that would tell her what she didn't want to know but if Andre had shot him, there had been no sign of it so he must be alive in the compound hopefully reunited with the others.

With that thought inside her, she continued walking but a part of her remained behind with the women in the cells. Hoping that somehow she and perhaps the others could return for them later.

* * *

Jonathan stood with Simon outside the compound, their mobile unit hidden by a patch of thick jungle. The FBI agent had been commenting on the sweltering heat which cloaked them even as the hour grew late. It reminded Jonathan of the traveling he had done through South America when he had been younger and a bit more footloose.

Before he had discovered in himself the need to help the good and punish the bad. Now of course he had learned how difficult it could be to differentiate between the two, the lines that had appeared so steadfast had become irrevocably blurred inside his head.

"When are they going to move," he asked Simon.

"When they get the signal….they're detecting a lot of activity on the west side."

"There's supposed to be some sort of charity gala going on," Jonathan said, "But it's just a front for the sale of a shipment of women that came in earlier."

Simon nodded.

"The ones smuggled in from South America."

"We've got Customs and ICE alerted if any of them hit the U.S. borders," Jonathan said, "but the intel said that most of them are headed towards Eastern Europe."

"There are a couple of huge operations out there," Simon said, "A lot of money exchanging hands in the next 24 hours."

"What about your witness?"

Jonathan didn't even want to think about her, the woman he had once loved when they both had been younger and starting their lives.

"She's leaving too with an agent of a buyer in the Ukraine," he said, "We still don't have a fix on that player but he's one of Andre's major business partners."

Simon looked grim.

"Then we'd better get this operation moving quickly before they slip through the net."

Jonathan agreed, knowing that he could never let that happen. Even if it was the last act he did as a federal agent.

* * *

Matt winced as he felt the sting in his shoulder. He flexed his arm and wound it stiffening up. But that would have to be dealt with later because he had too much to focus on now like finding C.J. and getting her out of here.

He hated that she had been taken away by Antonio. The man who would betray anyone at the drop of a dime. Though actually what motivated him this entire time had been his need to find and rescue his long-lost sister, the one who still lived. He really couldn't fault him that but he would go after him if C.J. was a casualty of his relentless quest. Was he helping her get away to find Elena or was he already planning to turn her back over to Andre in exchange for his sister?

Right now, Matt had no way of knowing and it both drove him to action and tormented him.

"Where is everybody," Vince asked.

"I guess Andre decided to shut his little party down," Matt said, "Which means they must be back where those women are being kept."

Vince shuddered and he knew he wasn't the only one. The ugliness that they had encountered rivaled any he had ever witnessed as a veteran cop on the streets of L.A. He had been exposed to drug trafficking and even that involving weapons but not involving people who were bought and sold between a few wealthy businessmen.

"I wish we could help those women."

"So do I Vince," Matt said, "Maybe we can go back when we find her."

"Isn't the Calvary supposed to be riding in at some point," Vince said, "The island should be combing with feds by now."

"I guess we'll find out won't we?"

Matt didn't really believe they could count on anyone but themselves at this point. The small band of mercenaries was it until proven otherwise.

Suddenly he looked up and saw two guards approaching. They smirked at him as they reached for their guns.

"The boss told us there were a ragtag bunch of fools running around."

Matt and the others looked at each other and then they grabbed the guards quickly before they could reach their weapons, slamming them against the wall. One of them knocked Matt down and they wrestled on the ground while Vince and Brady knocked the other out cold. Matt tried to push the other guard off of him but the other man proved to be very strong.

"Grab his arm," Vince told Brady.

He did that and finally Matt rolled out from beneath him and they pushed the guard down on the floor on his stomach.

"You okay Houston?"

Matt brushed the sweat off of his face and nodded.

"Just getting older like you."

Vince sighed.

"Knock this guy out and put them both in a storage room," he said, "and then Brady and I can change into their clothes."

Matt smiled.

"That might work."

The three of them dragged the two unconscious men into an empty room.

* * *

Andre left his guards and went to join a couple of his guests near where they held the captive women. The man with the blue eyes just shook his head when he saw him.

"You promised an easy exchange," he said, "No complications but the woman I promised to deliver to my boss is running loose somewhere."

"Not for long," he said, "I'll catch up to her."

"I'm going to have to tell my boss what kind of operation that you're running," he said, "You've gotten sloppy and your obsession for this woman is threatening to destroy what you've built for yourself."

Andre just dismissed his concerns. In the past decade, he had built his enterprise from a fledgling drug smuggling operation to the more lucrative business of buying and selling humans. Whether unwanted children as fodder to fight the dozens of civil wars breaking out all over the planet or women who were always in demand by men willing to pay top dollar for them, he had built a global operation that would certainly make his father proud.

The man who had defined his life, who had never publicly claimed him but had financed his education and helped pave his way. And hadn't turned out to be the villain that his traitorous mother had painted him to be.

The woman who had once tried to kill him.

But she herself had died, taken by her immoral lifestyle that had led to his conception. The image of her beauty, her long curly dark hair and luminescent green eyes still remained with him even as his few photographs of her had faded.

Even after she had died, he still saw her in his life as he grew older, reborn over and over in the shape of women.

"When my boss hears that you lost his prize…"

Andre raised his hand.

"She isn't lost," he said, "and she will be found and after she is taught a lesson, she will be yours."

The man smiled.

"Okay…if you need her to set an example that defiance among the chattel will not be tolerated," he said, "as long as you don't leave a mark."

Oh he would, Andre thought, but one in which only he could see. He had that power to see the elements of women that few others could. Oh some were crazy enough to believe that they had that power too like that eccentric billionaire who had carved up a bunch of women leaving a bloody trail through Europe that Matt had himself followed.

And Matt had finally caught up with him at an abandoned amusement park outside of L.A. when this crazed man had abducted C.J., as revenge against Matt. Castanos had been fortunate that Matt had thwarted him before he had jumped out of a hospital building to his death. Better than it would have ended for him if Andre's own men had gotten to him before Matt did for endangering his prize.

But Matt had gotten the job done and Andre had been reminded how formidable he could be when the lives of those he loved were threatened.

"I will most definitely take care of my own house," Andre said, "You can take that message to the Jaguar."

The man nodded and turned his back away from him and Andre felt his hands itch.


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter 106 is up, hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

Jonathan walked up to the man he thought was in charge.

Simon stepped into his path, blocking it and Jonathan just looked up at him in question.

"What are you doing," Simon asked.

"I'm trying to find out who's running this operation," he said, "and whether we're going in with a scalpel or a broadsword."

Simon just threw him an irritated look.

"You know the answer to that," he said, "with the military involved…"

Jonathan's jaw set because he knew that meant that those who were to be rescued might themselves become casualties. Because in the heat of the moment, when adrenalin flowed through the bodies of those rushing into the compound, the difference between good and bad individuals might not readily determined. Even if one of the good guys didn't drop to the ground fast enough, they might be shot.

A woman walked up to them. Jonathan widened his eyes.

"Sally what are you doing here?"

She sighed.

"I heard about Brad," she said, "I never would have guessed."

"I never did either," Jonathan admitted.

"Must have been rough to kill him," she said, "even though you didn't have a choice. You had to protect your witness."

"He wasn't someone I wanted to protect," Jonathan said, "In fact, part of me wanted to stand back and let Brad kill him but I had to do my job."

Sally had worked with Brad almost exclusively since transferring to Jonathan's division. He knew that although she didn't show it, she must be taking the loss of him hard. Still, how did she wind up on Sapphire Island?

She appeared to read his mind.

"With Brad gone, it's just the two of us now and the rest of them," she said, "Chad figured you needed some more backup so he sent me."

Jonathan looked at her capable figure with even more developed skills. He could certainly do worse than have someone like her. But both of them still had to receive orders from the rest of the team.

"We'd better find out what the hell's going on here."

She just nodded efficiently and they walked up to join the others in the final planning session.

* * *

Andre had been glad when the man with the blue eyes had left. No doubt to report to his boss, the Jaguar what had happened that his prize had turned up missing again. But Andre knew that unlike up in Washington State, there was no place to run here. It would be easy enough to catch up with her and end her running for good. And to make sure she served as an example to the rest of the women he had taken captive for the purposes of selling, so they would know what would happen if they too tried to escape their fate.

Even though the bargaining chip that he had used to cage her had been left dead or dying on the floor of the other room but perhaps with Matt dead, it would break whatever resolve remained inside her to defy him. It could go either one of two ways. Matt's killing could make her more willing to surrender to her fate as a slave for another master or it could strengthen her determination to survive and free herself by making her feel as if there were nothing else to lose.

Because Andre had always known that she loved him.

After all, he had been lingering in the shadows of her life since those days in Boston, watching her live her life and assessing her strengths and most importantly her weaknesses. To learn that she would do just about anything to keep him alive even when he had no idea of the high stakes game that used him as its pawn. To determine which would win out in the last round.

And Matt had been the source for both her strength and weakness. But in death which one would be prove to be? Andre had yet to find that out but that would surely happen before the night ended.

That night in the house when she had come with Jonathan to pick up Julia who had called her for a ride and then discovered the truth of what had happened. That Scott had stolen something while working for Andre and had gone missing, so Andre had held his girlfriend as collateral until he returned. Until his prize arrived.

He had transacted it almost like a business deal and she had treated it as such, through swallowing her fear with resolve, her eyes looking at him as if she weren't afraid. Even when he led her into the bedroom and started kissing her while running his hands over her body she didn't pull away. She remained still and didn't fight him when he unzipped her dress slowly and felt her soft skin beneath it for the first time. He caressed her while he whispered to her that he knew about the letter.

Her eyes had widened then because she had tucked her letter to Matt away but he must have found it. And if he read it, then he surely knew her weaknesses at a time she had been fighting hard to project strength. To show him that he didn't scare her to do whatever it took to save her friends even if it meant giving him a piece of herself.

When he asked about Matt and the letter and she pretended indifference, he knew it, that there was someone she'd die to protect. As he held her against the wall with his own body, he told her no one was out of his reach to get at. Then the men who had been sent by his father arrived to take him away and destroy any evidence of his presence. He must leave, they told him as they prepared to set the house on fire and he looked regretful at leaving her behind to die with the others. But he knew within her, she had the tools to get away.

Before he left, he had caressed her hair and told her he'd be back in case she escaped the inferno and she believed him.

* * *

C.J. thought about the other women every step that she took down the corridors away from them. Antonio must have sensed it because he kept casting her looks. But in her mind's eye, she kept seeing them languishing inside their cells awaiting the inevitable nightmare that awaited them when dawn came. She heard their voices calling for help even though the corridor remained silent but for their own footsteps and her beating heart.

Those that hadn't been left alone by their new masters were already beginning the latest chapter of their sojourn into hell. The worst part for her had always been the hours of waiting, watching the shadows of the fading sun enlarge on the walls and wondering if he would return. She would watch the door to see if it would open and she would listen for the footsteps in the outside corridor, the quick words with the guards that would tell her that another night with him coming in to take another part of her had begun.

On some nights, he wouldn't visit and she would lie on her bed, curled up in exhaustion after feeling she had been granted a stay until sleep finally took her. Until the next day arrived to start the cycle over again.

Then there had been the night or two she didn't remember at all.

"Don't even think about it," Antonio kept admonishing her, "Let them go and keep focused on the mission."

She almost told him to go straight to hell at that point because his betrayal had screwed up that mission but she didn't say anything at all. She thought about Matt until it hurt because she had no idea if he were dead or alive, if Andre had actually killed him. Nothing could kill him she had believed. Oh she had been worried a time or two that he might actually wind up dead at the hands of an enemy but deep inside of her she somehow thought he would keep dodging every bullet coming towards him.

But this time, she had doubts though she fought to suppress them. So she had to put him out of her mind and focus on putting one step after the other to find Elena and the others. Then they would figure out what to do next.

And hopefully Matt would be there with them. He must be still alive, she told herself, because she still felt him inside her heart.

* * *

"Matt, you okay?"

He looked up at Vince.

"I'm feeling fine," he said, "I'm eager to find C.J. and get out of here."

He did feel glad to be moving again because he hadn't enjoyed sitting and listening to Andre during his first hours here and he felt strong enough to handle anything. Though he had to stop and rest a minute once in a while.

"I thought you were dead back there."

"Me too Vince," he said, "Fortunately he didn't take the time to get another shot off or I would be."

"I'm really hoping the Calvary's waiting outside to rush this place and take care of the bad guys," Vince said, "This is a little big for our small ragtag group."

"A very determined ragtag group," Matt added, "but it would be nice if we had some more commandos."

"We've been in worse spots than this my friend," Vince countered, "and we're still around to get into this mess."

"I wonder where that traitor took her."

Vince looked at Matt.

"We'll find her," he said, "She'll probably find us first. She's nothing if not a survivor."

Matt knew that about his best friend. But he knew the price that came with it, the wondering if the wish to survive was as strong as the instinctual will. Because sometimes surviving an experience to face another day just wasn't enough. C.J. had pulled him through some pretty harrowing moments of self doubt in his life including when he thought he had been losing his mind after having been subjected to mind control by his enemies that kidnapped him.

After that nightmare had finally ended with C.J. breaking the code and they had all finally come home, she had taken him home and had spent the night with him just holding him tight to her while he released all his pent up anger and fears at what had happened to him. What he had experienced had been violated him and had nearly left him broken even after he had cleared his name. She had known that freeing him from the murder charges had just been one step in helping him to become whole again. After she had spent hours embracing him and talking softly to him about what he couldn't remember, he had fallen asleep. His first real sleep since the nightmare began.

He had dreamed of that crazy night of watching Andrea get shot and he and C.J. running for their lives. She had been struck in the shoulder and had tried to hide it from him. Willing to risk bleeding to death so he could run back in the building and get key evidence of his innocence before the building was destroyed.

After it had all ended, she had told him she hadn't felt the pain of the bullet wound, only the pain of losing him and of him losing his freedom for something he didn't do. But nothing had been worse to her than his doubts about himself and whether he could have killed a woman in a rage. That doubt had struck a core in his identity as someone who would harm innocent people and kill them with his bare hands. That he had it inside him to be as bad as an Andre Duval. Until the person who knew him best refused to believe it and he saw that too. Because he helped people instead of hurt them even if it meant risking everything.

A quality that mirrored what lived inside her.

He remembered that and made a decision. He shrugged off his shoulder pain and started down another corridor.

"Where are you going Houston," Vince asked.

"I know where C.J. will be," he said, "We've got to get to her first."

* * *

C.J. continued on with her search for the others but something pulled at her, testing that resolve. She couldn't put the images of the stolen women outside of her mind.

"You can't weaken," Antonio said, "They will see that in you and be waiting for you there."

"I can't let them go through what I did."

"Maybe someone else will help them," he said, "It doesn't have to be you."

She sighed, while they walked.

"No one saved me," she said, "I wanted and prayed that someone would each time he came back but no one did…and I made the decision to save myself. There's got to be a better way for them than to do what I did."

"There isn't," he said, "You go to help them and they'll capture you. Andre will find some way to make an example of you without undermining your value to the Jaguar."

"I don't belong to anyone let alone another trafficker," she said, "I'm not going to him."

"You will be if you try to interfere…"

"Most of those women will die from what's done to them," she said, "which might be the better outcome."

"The guy who bought you is more powerful than Andre," he said, "and he'll prove that when you meet him again."

"What do you mean…meet him again?"

But Antonio just silently continued down the corridor.

* * *

The man with the blue eyes had left Andre shaking his head at his ineptness at controlling his own property. His own boss had never had that problem and he wouldn't have any trouble with his latest prize when she arrived and was removed from the airplane. Beginning her new life with the Jaguar, who would make it clear within the first few minutes who was in control. She would be rebranded and he would decide what to do with her, where to put her in his own personal collection. Some place where it would be impossible to escape and where no one would find her.

She would just disappear into the underground where trafficking of women flourished and no one would even think to look. And be forever among the missing that no one neither knew or cared about.

He waited on the phone until the person on the other line answered.

"I'm just calling to tell you that there's been a delay in my receipt of your latest purchase," he said, "She got loose but I'll have her in hand soon enough."

"There must not be any delay," he said, "I made some promises on this end…for her."

"I'll find her myself," the man with the blue eyes promised, "I won't leave it up to Andre. He's getting sloppy."

"He's allowing his feelings for his favorite possession to get in the way."

That had been the issue with Andre that his obsession for C.J. had colored his ability to be a businessman who had worked his way up the ladder of his trade. While taking on the cover of a successful businessman and philanthropist. The Jaguar had his own veneer as well as a very successful industrialist with a secret life.

A major conglomerate that he had built as a shadow company, a Trojan horse to hide his real line of work. Several plush estates in different countries and a wife and children stashed within them who wanted more attention than he could provide. Not to mention a mistress in every port to warm his bed only when he needed one.

And then there were the other women who were part of his prostitution rings. The income earned from his reputable holdings were well known by the stock holders who had invested in it when it had gone public as well as the IRS and various tax agencies in different countries. The vast millions generated by the other business were funneled and laundered through his charitable foundations as well as a satellite company or two. On the top, everything looked legitimate and few questions were asked. When the planes and ships brought the electronic equipment and pharmaceutical supplies to where they would be sold, no one in customs or immigration ever checked to see what else were transported along with them.

Over the years, hundreds and hundreds of women that he bought or sold or moved around as commodities. Including the beautiful young one on her way to one of his hidden houses miles away from some major airport the next day. The one who had already become a personal favorite but still, he kept himself emotionally detatched from his property unlike his more volatile business partner. The Jaguar had watched him over time, more and more convinced that he had to rein him in.

He sighed as he responded to his hired man.

"We'll make sure he doesn't," the man said, "or he'll find out just how little power he's really had all along."


	107. Chapter 107

The rush of the river outside the compound had kept her awake on the nights that she had wanted so much to sleep. She had imagined the strength of the current which pushed its way over the rocks, creating eddies where it circled endlessly until it developed enough force and volume to continue onward through the twists and turns until it reached the ocean.

She had looked out the broken window into the darkened woods and knew that the woman must have reached the river. If she hadn't, the guards would have called to one another that they had found her. The icy water would slice into any warm flesh, chilling it and sucking the breath right out of any living creature, the swiftness of the slip of current in its midst would wear down the strength of any person it caught.

But the look on her face the last time Elena had seen her had been filled with determination, the kind that could if not defeat the swift jets stream of water, survive it.

Elena fingered the necklace that the woman had given her carefully. She knew the woman had prized it highly the way she had held it tight before giving it to her. Blood had marked it from the woman's torn hands but Elena had wiped it on her clothes and then slipped it over her neck.

"Thank you," was all the woman had said before leaving.

Andre had been away on business that had drawn him to some faraway nameless place. Not like the carefully scheduled itineraries she diligently created for him when he went to build his importing business. But he always left a generous contingent of security men around him. They would be arriving soon, drawn by the noise especially if anyone activated the alarm that one of the women had escaped.

They would quickly know which one and that she had taken a life to get away. They would figure out quickly that she had headed towards the river, the fastest if deadliest route out of the mountain. But right now, only the parameter guards would be looking and hopefully, had not notified the others to assist them. For the priority of the rest of them would be to secure the compound to shut down any security breaches and prevent others from exploiting them.

One guard would die for every woman that escaped but for every woman who had been caught, the guard would receive one night with her as his reward. So the guards were highly motivated to ensure that no woman had ever escaped. Elena had heard this in whispers between them but didn't know enough to believe it.

But what of the dead body, she thought. If they caught her with it, would they know? She thought quickly, mentally going over the floor plan of the massive compound in her mind. She had walked through most of it…except…the area where the guards had taken Fernando after he had died. A kindly man one of the few friends she had but they said he had been a traitor. Other bodies had been taken out there and buried in a patch of ground overlooking the river. All in unmarked graves dug into the soft earth that over time had looked barely disturbed as nature reestablished itself.

Elena had watched her go and then turned to look at the dead body of Semour Piser lying in a pool of blood on the ground and made a decision.

C.J. looked up and saw her standing in the corridor as if she were indecisive. She and Antonio walked towards her.

"Elena, what are you doing here?"

The girl looked at her suddenly.

"I don't know…I thought about the women," she said, "I think some of them are from my native country."

C.J. thought that was entirely possible, the women from South America could include those from where Elena had been born.

"I heard Spanish spoken," she said, "but not words I wanted to hear…screams."

"I know, I wanted to help them," C.J. said, "but we need to find the others, do you know where they are?"

Elena shook her head.

"I saw Andre but he was with a businessman," she said, "I think they are looking for you…I don't know…so much is going on."

"What about Houston?"

"I think he's alive," Elena said, "I have this feeling…but Andre he left him I think…Some other man is making him very angry."

C.J. figured that must be the man representing the trafficker who now owned her. After all, she was supposed to be in his custody to be locked away until morning when she would be taken to a plane to be transported some place unknown to him.

Not that she would allow that to happen. They would find Matt and the others and come up with a plan of what to do next to get out of there after doing a little damage first. But like Elena, she couldn't get her mind off of the women.

She had been there herself months ago. Not to be sold away to a brothel in some other country or continent but to be owned by one man who had remained in the backdrop of her life and had planned that day when she would be at his mercy, screaming for help that wouldn't be coming after begging him not to hurt her. Not to strip her dignity away with her clothing and to take possession of her soul along with her body.

She didn't need to know the Spanish words these women spoke to understand them.

But Andre hadn't used her once to break her into her new life only to sell her off. He had kept her in a cage to use as he saw fit and after that first night, all it took was her love for one man to hold her captive.

Matt still lived and if Andre didn't realize that so much the better.

"He never would have left him unguarded," Antonio said, "without killing him."

Elena shook her head at her brother.

"No…I know Matt is here and we will find him," she said, "then we'll know what to do."

C.J. looked at the younger woman and knew she had thrown in her lot with them but that she also had some kind of hold over Andre because he didn't treat her as he did other women. She didn't know why but he almost seemed protective of her.

Antonio looked at the both of them.

"If we don't find him, we may have to leave him."

C.J. turned on him.

"Like hell we will."

He looked at her, his dark eyes not blinking.

"I have what I came for," he said, "I found my sister and I'm taking her out of here right now."

C.J. folded her arms

"Then go," she said, "I'm not leaving Houston or the others here to die like some coward."

"It's not being a coward to look after your family first."

C.J. just shook her head.

"Okay then just go," she said, "The last thing I need is for you to go turncoat again and betray me and the others because it suits you."

Elena looked at her brother, her eyes lit up with questions.

"Antonio did you…"

"Later," he said, brusquely, "We're leaving…"

Elena just refused to budge and crossed her arms, mirroring C.J.

"What did she just say, like hell I'm not," she said, "Well that goes for me as well. You can leave if you want but I'm going to help her find the others so we can leave together."

He looked at her in disbelief.

"Elena if you do that, you'll be risking your own life," he said, "If Andre knows you betrayed him, he'll kill you himself or worse."

She looked resolute.

"I can handle myself," she said, "If you want to stay and help us, it would be great. If not…"

He looked at her indecisively and C.J. saw he looked truly torn.

"You're making a mistake," he warned her.

"It's mine to make Antonio," she said, "and helping others isn't a mistake."

She looked up at him and he stroked her face in response, feeling like he had seen her for the first time as a woman who had grown up away from him.

"I love you Antonio," she said, "but I make my own decisions and I'm getting out of my gilded cage."

He studied her for a long moment and then nodded slowly. C.J. could tell that he didn't like her decision but he respected her right to make it.

"We'd better get moving," he said, "if we're going to find them before Andre and his men find us."

Matt looked at Vince and the ex-cop raised his brows.

"Are you sure about this," he asked.

Matt just shook his head at his friend.

"Doubting me now after all we've been through together?"

"I'd feel better if I knew what this plan of yours was," Vince said, "but doubt you, no."

Matt raised his arm to loosen the kinks and winced.

"It's hurting you?"

"A little," he said, "We'd better keep moving. I think she's heading towards where those women are being kept."

"You sure?"

Matt nodded.

"She looks at them and she knows what they've been through."

"So she'll want to save them," Vince said, "Even though she can't Houston."

"She's going to try Vince," he said, "because no one could do it for her."

"She'll get caught," Vince said, "and then she will be them again."

Matt didn't think so, he knew that the past six months of freedom, even though it had often eluded them while on the run had given her strength. She had rediscovered enough of herself and who she had been to develop a wall of resistance against being enslaved again. No matter what happened to her, she would never stop fighting this time. Because once again, she had been reminded of the stakes involved.

She would die first if it came to choosing that or her loss of freedom. But she would fight hardest to return to the world with Matt, even if it meant that the truly difficult part of her journey back to wholeness would begin. Her arduous quest to be free again had kept her from thinking too much about what she had really lost and what had been forcibly taken from her. When there had been lulls in their ordeal, when her guard slipped just a little, she had been inundated with feelings that had threatened to overwhelm her before she pushed them back where she kept them. She couldn't surrender fully to these episodes where the realization of what had happened struck her with full force or she wouldn't survive.

But when she ended this nightmare and started dismantling it, she wouldn't be alone because he would be right there with her. If she would allow him in to do that, trust him just enough to allow him to share that with her. And to get her life back so they could truly go home.

Just as he had trusted her during a time he couldn't trust himself let alone anyone else. But right now, he had to find her.

Andre went into his office, turning on the light. His eyes widened as he noticed the man with the blue eyes sitting there, his arms folded.

"My boss just called," he said, "You have a short window of time to find her before we talk about alternative steps."

Andre stood there.

"That is not necessary," he said, "She hasn't left the compound."

"She left the one in Washington," the man said, "She could escape from here especially if they're others to help her."

"We'll get them all, take care of them swiftly and she'll be on that plane to her new home tomorrow morning," he said, "I know your boss was quite pleased with her when he came to see her."

The man looked at him coolly.

"She wasn't very lively," he said, "He wants a woman who he can control but not one that's totally passive. So will his clients."

"She was drugged," Andre said, "I told him that she was still fairly new to this and hadn't surrendered yet to her new purpose."

The man sighed.

"Still, you left him with much work to do to make her useful to him," he said, "Especially since she's been running around loose for so long. Her indoctrination is probably long gone."

Andre's eyes flashed.

"Why the concern," he said, "I thought the Jaguar was the best and had a way with the merchandise. Even the more difficult examples like her."

"He might want that other girl…"

Andre's face tightened.

"He can't have her," he said, "We made our deal and we're sticking to it."

"You don't make the deals," the man said, "You abide by them. You've shown yourself to be too much of a liability in recent months. It's caused a great deal of concern by your other partners."

"They have said nothing," Andre said, "Only your boss has complained about my work."

"He's enough," the man said, "because he represents others. If he wants the girl to soften up this deal, he'll have her and there's nothing you can do about it."

Andre looked at him and thought, we'll just see about that.

Elena had turned towards the one guard left she trusted after Fernando had been buried after his death.

"You've got to help me with this," she said, "You're the only one who can. No one must find out."

He looked down at the dead body lying there in blood that had begun to coagulate into a sticky pool, surrounding the man whose face had been frozen in shock. Clearly he had not seen his death coming at the hands of someone else besides the woman who stood in front of him. He knew about the woman who had escaped and had known that Fernando had died trying to help her in a previous effort. If his friend had done so, he must have a reason.

"We don't have much time," he said, "So we'll have to act quickly."

In the distance, the river continued to twist and turn carrying its cargo away from the prison she escaped.


	108. Chapter 108

Another chapter of this mammothly long fan fiction story! Thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

Jonathan looked at Sally after they both left the briefing. She shot him a brief look of reproach back.

"You don't like it do you?"

He folded his arms.

"I promised her that I would protect her."

And he had all those months ago when he had first seen her after receiving her call from the payphone in the middle of some town in Washington.

"They're doing what they're trained to do in a very difficult situation Jonathan," she said, "We have to trust them."

"Even when they're planning to hit the place with a lot of firepower," he said, "You know they won't survive that if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time…"

She sighed.

"They already are in the wrong place," she said, "and they brought that on themselves by getting involved in a dangerous situation involving some very heinous criminals."

Jonathan ran his hand through his hair and chuckled mirthlessly.

"You know it wasn't until very recently we even considered Andre Duval and his ilk criminals," he said, "and it's largely because of C.J. and the others who are trapped inside there that we're all here now."

"What would you propose instead," she said, "You've got some powerful players in there who can't be handled with kid gloves."

"But there's innocent women cargo in there that the infrared helicopters detected a couple days ago and they're going to get caught in the middle too."

"They'll be as careful as they can while keeping themselves safe," she said, "You know that's how these operations play out."

Jonathan did, having had special weapons and tactics training though not quite so extensive. But enough to know the risks involved, including those that couldn't be anticipated in a quick moving operation that had to cover a great amount of ground in a limited amount of time. Hopefully Matt, C.J . and anyone else with them might know enough to take cover quickly

Simon came up to the two of them.

"Are you ready or you staying behind?"

Jonathan looked at Sally who nodded.

"Ready as we'll ever be," he said, "Let's get a move on to set up our formation."

Jonathan and Sally walked up to join the others but he still had his misgivings about what would soon transpire. He still deeply cared for C.J. as his ex but just as importantly he had made a promise to keep her safe from those who had harmed her and his track record so far really hadn't been all that good. Assassins had popped up everywhere including inside his own agency and he had felt unable to see them coming and powerless to stop them. Who was there left to trust around him, well he decided to keep everyone around him at some lengths in that regard while working with them.

Because anyone in this group of rescuers could be a traitor hiding as a hero.

* * *

Andre paced the corridor while his guards searched for C.J. He had said goodbye to the last of the guests for his charity gala that had been taking place in the main ballroom apart from his business transactions with his partners. The money that he had collected for his women's foundations would be used to start new medical clinics in villages in Ecuador and Peru to serve the families in terms of healthcare. The foundations did serve a purpose besides being used to launder money from his trafficking operation.

Elena would be most pleased to find out how much money they had reaped in contributions because one of the aforementioned clinics would be built in the village where she had been born. He remembered the day when he had first seen her when she had been put up for sale with other young girls and women from her country. She had been thin, but beautiful dressed in clothes her mother had made for her before her father handed her over to the agent who served under a powerful man who worked by day as a police chief. During nights, they held auctions hidden in darkness, and shielded by heavy security and a labyrinth to navigate through just to find them before they packed up and moved again leaving no trace certainly not of the humans bought and sold.

Elena had been one of the final girls placed under the light of the stage. The middleman had hoped he would make a profit off of what he had paid her family for two days earlier. She had spent the interim locked up in a room in an unmarked building that the local police had been paid to ignore.

When he had seen her standing, looking around at the bright light all around her, unable to see the bidders, he knew that included himself. But he would see them and he watched them carefully, other men dressed in Armani just like him. They looked at a young girl like her and they saw dollar signs given that the most lucrative form of prostitution involved young girls.

Andre had flown in for the auction after a business deal had fallen through and he had visited his father Marquis in Paris. The terrorist leader had finally lifted his sanctions against Andre for that trouble he had caused in Boston with the law students including the one who had captivated him. The money his father had sent him had helped him develop his importing business while his more clandestine pursuits switched from dealing in drugs to dealing in humans.

Now he stood in the packed room and watched the wide eyed girl standing in front of him about to be sold.

Another trafficker who also owned legitimate businesses had expressed interest in her. He and Andre had traded business cards beforehand at the pre-auction meeting to talk about possibly expanding their operations together as partners. The man had been bidding on the young girl and Andre knew if he prevailed, the young girl would be shipped off to a brothel probably in Eastern Europe before she knew it.

While he listened to the energized but orderly bidding, he focused his eyes on the young girl, who looked back at him, a hint of a smile on her face despite her fear. He then knew he had a decision to make.

Elena had thrived under his care, even though she worked as a domestic which though arduous and often dirty work, was a much better fate than sexual slavery. There had been no hard feelings between him and the most aggressive bidder, because after all it had been just business. The two men together built a trafficking operation that had global reach. They kept their women they dealt in under separate ownership, marking them with an individual brand. Two emblems that because quickly familiar to the other traffickers in the thriving industry of human slavery.

The chimera and the jaguar.

But if even his business partner thought he could take Elena away from him, he would find out quickly he was mistaken. He would make sure of it.

* * *

At that moment, a guard entered the corridor.

"What is it," he said.

"Mr. Houston," the guard said, "He's disappeared."

C.J. never took her eyes off of him. Antonio, the ex-security force leader of Andre's who had betrayed her more than once already. Now he had tried to take his sister and run off leaving the rest of them uncovered. She understood him wanting to get his sister out of there but C.J. needed him to find Matt and the others and it wasn't a given that Antonio and Elena would be able to get away safely anyway.

Of course Elena had her own opinions on the matter and had made her own decision. Antonio had bent to her will because he didn't want to leave her but C.J. still realized she couldn't trust him at all. And having to work alongside a man whose loyalties seemed to shift with the tide didn't leave her feeling very confident.

"Stop looking at me," he said, "I told you that I will stay here and help you."

"Antonio, if it weren't for you, Houston wouldn't be trapped here, maybe injured and this whole operation would be going differently."

"I needed to get Elena."

His sister just looked at him reproachfully.

"You should have kept your promise to help them," she said, "Now we've got to find Matt and the others so we can all leave."

"Andre will never let that happen…"

"Then we'll kill him," C.J. said, "If I have the chance, I'll do it…it doesn't seem like the authorities seem intent on doing anything."

"They could be," Antonio said, "but it's going to take the coordinated effort of different agencies."

C.J. knew that because when she had called Jonathan from that telephone, the FBI and the U.S. Marshall's office had gotten involved. Of course, she barely remembered any of it, as the infection that had started in her branded shoulder had grabbed hold of her. She had waited for him, hiding so sure that she had been followed by Andre's men who would return her back to him to be sold as Andre had promised. If she was lucky, she could talk them out of forcing her on the bed and taking their reward from her when they arrived.

She looked around the room to find anything to be used to kill them instead.

Every car she heard passing, she feared would be them, every footstep outside the door. She even believed they could hear each breath and her heart beating inside her chest.

But when the door had opened, it had been Jonathan.

* * *

She blinked.

"I know that there's agencies that may be trying to help us," she said, "but until then, we're on our own and we'll have to take care of ourselves and find the others."

She had learned that she couldn't rely on anyone but herself and her best friend Matt who needed her now. The man who had a warrant out for him by the good guys for kidnapping her and obstructing an investigation when if he hadn't found her, she would be dead or worse, taken back to him.

They continued walking and still she watched the man beside her and kept her eyes out for Matt and the others. God, this place was so huge; a labyrinth of twists and turns and endless corridors but Andre had always been like that. It had been intended as insurance in case anyone was foolish enough to try to escape them, in that there was no way out of this place, no escape.

"Are we going in circles," she asked.

"I spent some time here but not a lot," he said, "Most of my assignments were in other compounds."

She didn't need to be reminded of where he had spent his time when she had been held captive and he had known that place down to the square foot. It had taken her much planning and studying of the compound to even have hopes of finding a path to freedom when she finally decided to take it.

Antonio suddenly stopped and put his hand on her. She fought the instinct to shake it off or reach down and break some bones.

"Someone's coming…."

They leaned to the side of the wall in the shadows and Elena had nodded and had taken a position where she couldn't be seen either.

"How many," she asked.

His eyes narrowed.

"Two…we can handle them," he said, "I'll take the one on the left."

The two men walked past and they both rushed to overwhelm them and C.J. knocked her target to the ground and then when he tried to get up, she kicked him hard with her foot the way she had practiced to hone her body into being able to protect her.

A few careful blows and he went still. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Antonio who had knocked out the other guard.

"Disarm him," Antonio said, and she nodded.

* * *

Matt and Vince walked with Brody and saw a man standing in front of them. The trafficker who had bought C.J. off of Andre, Matt realized. He clenched his fists to keep from leaving the others and confronting him.

"He's probably not alone," Vince said.

"That guy's boss is in some power play with Andre," Matt said, "I'm not sure at this point who's going to win."

"Who cares if the feds come in and bust both of them?"

Matt sighed, rubbing the sweat off of his face.

"I do…if C.J. gets in the middle of it," he said, "Andre goes down, this guy's boss might never leave C.J. alone but if…"

Vince shook his head.

"You could drive yourself crazy thinking of all the possibilities," he said, "They should just finish them all off. Kind of like a scorched earth policy."

"I don't know if that's even possible," Matt said, "but I want these two to go down so that C.J. can go home without looking over her shoulder and she can really begin to heal."

Vince knew from the tone in his friend's voice that Matt realized that for her, the toughest part of this journey hadn't yet begun.

This would begin when she finally had come to a secure enough place where she could really confront what had been done with her, what she had been forcing deep inside her mind the past months to stay alive and one step of Andre.

Not to mention the feds who were supposed to have helped her.

But that would have to wait, because they all had to get out of this place first and somehow find a way to bring this chapter of her ordeal to its end.


	109. Chapter 109

Chapter 109-Latest chapter is up! Thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

The former chair of the state board of corrections paced his jail cell waiting for the guards to take him the visitation room to see him. The man who held the ticket to get him out of here and out of the mess that he had made of himself in a remote dusty corner of Arizona.

But he hadn't done it alone.

In a similar cell several units away, sat a disgraced sheriff who had been arrested alongside him by the state police after they had come to bust up the prostitution and slavery ring they had set up to make themselves some quick cash and to please the big boys up at the state capitol. For about a year, their business had run flush until they had gotten careless and it had all gone to pieces. They had kidnapped the wrong woman who had wandered into one of their bars, believing her confusion led her to being an easy mark and ignoring the designer clothes she wore that spoke otherwise.

The man heard the clinking sound of keys and the clip of boots approach him and he looked up to see a deputy unlock his cell door.

"Your visitor has arrived Mr. Piser."

The deputy had Piser stand up so he could handcuff him before taking him out to the visitor's room. As they left the confines of the cell for at least a little while, Piser wished he could stretch his arms as they headed to the visitor's room. The guard opened the door and Piser's eyes widened when they saw who sat behind the thick pane of glass that separated the inmates from the outside world. He had been expecting someone else, perhaps an aide of the man in front of him but not to see him in the flesh. The guard removed his handcuffs and directed him to sit in the chair across from Andre Duval. Both men picked up their phones to speak.

"What are you doing here," Piser asked immediately.

Andre looked at him and shook his head.

"You know why," he said, "You've gotten yourself in quite some trouble."

"It was the sheriff's fault," he said, "He got called to the bar about some broad named Bunny who as it turned out had some powerful friends."

"I know all about her and her friends," Andre said, "enough to know her name's not Bunny for starters. If I had known she was there, I would have warned you that she required special handling."

"She had no idea who she was when we had her," Piser said, "Butz thought she had come off some sort of bender until he found out she had wrecked her car."

"You took her as your own personal property for use at one of your parties," Andre said, "You know those parties were never a good idea. Always a risk of attracting too much attention and that's why I'm shifting the business to more discreet venues."

"Hey…I see your point now," Piser said, "As for the girl, if you saw her, she's much more refined than the alley cats we usually get…I couldn't help myself not that she wanted any part of it."

"Yes she is," Andre agreed, "You were told to call me when women like that were caught up in your net especially one like her for me to handle and make decisions about their use."

"But Butz said…"

Andre shook his head.

"It's my call and he knew that," he said, "A woman like her is more valuable in a more selective market where men will pay more for her than a group of local politicians from a town no one knows or cares about. I had other plans for her."

Piser looked at him in surprise.

"You almost sound like you know this one."

Andre stared at him in a way that unnerved him.

"I do…"

Andre's visit had been brief but within a matter of months, Piser had found himself sprung from jail on a furlough and he had slipped away using the means that his boss had arranged for him. The authorities hadn't even really come looking for him and he had worked in Andre's organization.

Until his death of course.

He marveled at what she had done to escape from him and his plans for her. As if she knew that he had followed through with his threat of selling her to one of his partners. Not that the decision had come easily, his back had been against a wall. His time spent with her the past month had been well worth the wait, the years of sitting back and watching her live her life while he remained on the edges of it building his own empire. Not that she had wanted any part of it and had fought him until he gave her the terms for how it would be between them now that she belonged to him.

In a matter of time, she would have come around and saw the reality of the life he had planned out for her but then she betrayed him forcing him to kill one of his best guards. The only time she had given her body to him without him taking it had been an attempt to save the life of a man she didn't know.

But he had already up his mind and had executed Fernando in front of her.

He looked up and saw the man with the blue eyes walking back towards him.

"Have they found the woman yet?"

Andre shook his head.

"They're looking but as I told you earlier, there's nowhere for her to go."

He didn't appear convinced.

"She escaped from Washington," the man said, "and it took months for you to even find her."

"But I did and she's back here," Andre said, "She's hiding somewhere but she can't do that forever. She has to come out because he's here too."

"You mean that Texan."

"Yes him," Andre said, "She loves him enough that I used that to control her. It didn't take much time watching her to know her weakness is him. Anything I wanted from her she'd give me if I told her it would give him another day of life."

"What if they find each other," the man said, "Then you have nothing and he's got training and experience in military intelligence. He can make a mess of your operation in short order especially if he has help."

"He won't have a chance," Andre said, "my men will find him and if they find him first, I'll use him to get to her."

"She'll be harder to find now that she's turned Antonio to help her."

Andre remained silent a moment, thinking.

"Don't be too sure about that," he said, "Antonio's playing an angle on his own and I'm not sure what but she'll never trust her not after what he did to her."

Because Antonio had brought her when she first arrived to him and then had closed the door behind him and walked away, without looking back not even when the screams began.

* * *

C.J. and Antonio waited when they heard some noise that they thought might be guards. They had dispatched several other ones and wondered how many remained looking for them. C.J. figured that there might be others looking for Matt and their friends so that would split those forces up. Elena just looked at her.

"I wish we could find the others," she said, "then we could figure out what to do when there's more of us."

Antonio turned towards Elena.

"I wished you had gone with me."

She folded her arms.

"I made my decision," she said, "You were still free to go if you chose."

Antonio just looked at his sister, a spirited woman he had just gotten to know after the years they had spent apart. At least Andre had spared her from the worst of his world while she had stayed with him.

The noise continued and C.J. listened, her body tensing and poised to act if necessary to prevent capture. As long as the guards kept coming, she would keep fighting them because there was no way she would surrender to the fate planned for her. But she felt she had to protect Elena too because she didn't want her to get caught in the middle of it.

"Elena if the guards come…"

"I will do my part," the girl finished, "I no longer want to be a part of what Andre has built now that I know the truth."

C.J. detected a thread of sadness in her voice because she knew a part of Elena had grown fond and even loved the man she had viewed as her benefactor since she arrived as a little girl. But Elena had a strong core within her too of what was right and what was wrong and she lived by it.

"Hey someone's coming…"

C.J. sighed, pulling back into the wall ready to act. She felt tired from all the action of the past several hours and the uncertainty of whether or not she would walk away from this at last. The thought tantalized her that she and Matt would find their way through this labyrinth back home to rebuild their lives. But before hope could take root inside her heart, doubt would cloud it, because before morning came, she could be dead or worse…on her way to be delivered to her new owner and what he had planned.

No, she had to concentrate on getting through this and getting out of her with the man that she loved and push other thoughts aside.

* * *

Matt looked at Vince, who watched him wince.

"You're starting to worry me," the former cop said, "You're looking pale."

Matt felt weakness seep through him and had figured it was some form of nervous exhaustion from all that had transpired since he had been brought here by Antonio. But his shoulder had really started bothering him and every so often, he had to stop to ease the kinks out of his muscles.

"I'm fine Vince," he said, "or I will be when I find her."

"We will…we're bound to bump into them at some point," Vince said, "This place is a logistic nightmare."

Matt knew that the design plan had been deliberate, to prevent anyone from ever escaping from inside its walls. It reminded him of a maze that somehow had been constructed inside what appeared to be a rather unremarkable if large building.

But Matt had been tested by challenging layouts of places he had penetrated and infiltrated before both in military intelligence and while working as a private investigator so this didn't really throw him much. Or at least it wouldn't have if the stakes hadn't been so high and his shoulder hadn't started killing him.

"That man…I wanted to kill him…"

Vince looked up at Matt, nodding. He knew his friend didn't have the heart of a murderer. He only had killed in self-defense, to protect another life or as an act of war. And he bore each death no matter how justified inside his heart because he was a man who revered life including his own because there had been so much left he wanted to do before his own inevitable death.

"I know…but if you did, your own life would be gone and she needs you too much Houston, especially after this is all over."

Matt knew that too and he would do whatever it took, however long, to support her recovery which he knew would be arduous and would require great patience on his part to help her confront her demons and regain control and ownership of what had been hers. Life hadn't always proven to be fair and in this case, definitely not because she didn't deserve what had happened to her. And maybe if he hadn't been selfish and had taken off after his aborted wedding…well he couldn't change that now and maybe it might not have made any difference except that he could have started looking for her sooner.

"It worked out as it meant to…you have to accept that pal."

Damn, Vince sure could read his mind, Matt thought.

"I know…but it's always going to stick with me Vince that if I hadn't left…if it still happened that maybe I could have found her in time…"

"With what Houston," Vince said, "These guys were pros. They left no trail behind when they took her. It's as if she vanished into thin air like many other women have all over the world."

"I wonder what I was doing the night he raped her for the first time," Matt said, "and all the nights after…was I happy, was I enjoying myself…was it a night I totally forgot where I came from and what I left…not knowing what she was going through?"

Vince watched the emotions tearing across his friend's face that he had been holding inside him so long to be strong for the woman he loved, who had needed him so much more.

"Don't even try to figure that out or you'll drive yourself crazy," he said, "And that's not what she needs right now is your self-reproach of events that can't be changed now."

Matt digested that knowing his friend spoke the truth. Still it had been so damn hard and he wondered if the guilt he felt would ever leave him. But Vince was right, he had to push that all away and concentrate on finding her.

Before Andre did.

* * *

C.J. looked over at Antonio who nodded back at her.

"You take the one on the right," she said, "I the left."

He nodded again and they stood silently, ready to attack anyone walking by. The footsteps and some voices approached. Elena looked over at them.

"I think I hear more than two people."

C.J. figured that if they were guards, they would at least been in pairs.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

She looked into the darkness of the hallway and she could see the outlines of several men walking towards her but something sounded familiar…and then when a streak of soft light revealed their forms, her heart jumped. She stepped into the corridor as Antonio looked at her, confused.

"Houston…."

She moved towards him quickly and he to her, and when they met halfway, they embraced each other tightly and neither of them wanted to let go.


	110. Chapter 110

Chapter 110-another one done! I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

She watched him disembark from the airplane, a private jet along with his uncle and the mercenary that had helped him. And then behind them, a face of a man she hadn't seen since she had been a younger woman.

"Will…"

He looked thinner in build and his eyes darted around the tarmac as if still trying to register to what most of them looked ordinary. His uncle waited for him and then wrapped his arm around his son and the younger man's body relaxed slightly.

One face of course she didn't see amongst them because it belonged to a man who would never come back.

She had already received the news that Too-Mean Malone had been killed by the drug lord while they fought to liberate Will from the decrepit prison which had raised him. Time had been frozen still for him while the world grew and changed around him. Culture shock though would be the least of his struggles.

But her eyes had focused on Matt, who looked a bit more banged up and bruised than when they had said goodbye and she fought to keep herself running and embracing him tightly. She had been so worried that he wouldn't be coming back at all, just as when he had served in military intelligence while she had been in law school back East.

He did reach her finally, and his arms immediately wrapped her up, bringing her in close to him, his body heat mingling with her as did their heartbeats. She responded in kind and he rested his head against her and she whispered in his ear, thanking him for coming home to her in one piece.

* * *

She hugged him just as fiercely now and he did the same with her. Her tears mixed with what she felt were his own and she thanked him for finding her. He pulled away finally, smoothing her hair back.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

"What about you," she said, "I thought you were shot…"

"It missed me thank god," he said, "but we've got to figure out what to do."

She ran her hand through her hair.

"Well we're all together now," she said, "so at least that part's done. This place is like a maze but that's how he builds them so that no one can escape."

He looked at her directly, and she felt so much in that gesture.

"Well, almost no one," she amended.

Elena looked up at Matt, her eyes bright.

"It's so good to see you again sir," she said, "I thought…"

Matt sighed.

"He was going to kill me and I ducked behind a couch to avoid getting hit," he said, "but I thought for sure he was going to come and finish me off and so I planned my next action while I heard his footsteps but someone called him away to look for C.J."

"Yeah, I had a change of plans," she said, "I'm not going anywhere with that guy. I don't care who everyone thinks I belong to, I'm not going."

"No you're not," Matt agreed, "But we're all getting out of here. I had hoped the feds working with Jonathan would have decided to move against this operation."

"Maybe they have Houston," Vince said, "They could be in the final stages before they launch it."

"That might be Vince," Matt said, "but that doesn't help us now. We've got to figure a way out and if that means taking out a couple of these creeps, that's fine with me."

It was fine with C.J. too, but she didn't want him to do anything that might get him killed. She took a critical look at her best friend, who appeared a bit ashen to her and she noticed he winced now and then.

"Houston…are you sure you're all right?"

"C.J…I'm fine, stop worrying…"

She folded her arms and shot him a meaningful look.

"Don't you dare tell me whether to worry or not," she said, "You look like you're in pain."

"I'm fine…My arm just sting a little," he said, "The bullet might have grazed me."

"You think it might have hit you," she said, "I want to take a look."

"Here…now?"

She answered that with another look he knew well.

"As much as I'd love to take off my shirt for you, this isn't the place."

She sighed in exasperation.

"You could be more badly hurt than you realize," she said, "I know what it's like to have an adrenalin rush and then find out later I've been shot."

Yeah, he remembered that too when they had both fled the building when he had been on the run framed for a murder that happened during a month he didn't remember. Andrea had been shot in midsentence and they had been taking cover under heavy gunfire and she…well she had told him she loved him. They had gotten out and then the pain had hit her suddenly though she had tried to hide it.

"Don't lecture me on stoicism young lady," he said, "I remember watching you working on finding a way to break that damn code and you looked so damn tired and that shoulder still pained you…"

"Houston…no need to go down memory lane here," she said, "I just want to know that you're not badly hurt."

Antonio looked at the both of them.

"If he is, it doesn't matter now," he said, "We need to get out of here and he can deal with his injury after we've done that."

C.J. didn't like that at all but he had a point. She just didn't like the way he looked right now and she wanted him beside her when she left this place. She stroked his face and nodded.

"Okay…but after we've gotten out, you're taking that shirt off so I can look myself…"

He waggled his eyes at her.

"Okay, we'll play some poker and with your skills, I'm sure you can get all of them off."

Her cheeks flushed and she knew he only said that to disarm her so that she would park her concerns for him so they could get down to business. Antonio just shook his head and turned to Vince.

"There might be another way to an exit," he said, "but it's out in the jungle and it's dangerous terrain."

"We'll be fine," Vince said, "We've all trained for this and we need to get going."

Antonio nodded and C.J. threw one final look at Matt and they headed down the corridor.

* * *

Sally and Jonathan put on their gear so that they would be ready to come in behind the initial strike force, poised to act when most of the security within the compound had been neutralized one way or another. Jonathan's heart pounded as if always did in situations like this one. They both had the training and some experience though he had more than Sally who hadn't been at the U.S. Marshal's office that long though she had served in a military branch. He picked up a weapon as did she and they went to join the others.

Denton looked at the both of them appraisingly.

"You sure you can handle the heat?"

Jonathan just smiled at the FBI agent.

"I can if you can," he said, "We do these operations in my division as well."

"I heard you're thinking about walking away from your job, the government."

Jonathan pressed his lips in a thin line.

"Where you hear these rumors?"

"Oh…around," Denton said, "Besides after having to kill your own partner who turned on you, that would make anyone question his service."

"Because I work for an agency that needs a thorough cleaning," Jonathan said, "At least my division's started, what is yours doing?"

Denton chuckled as he picked up his own sidearm.

"We haven't had anyone turn traitor."

"Yet…but Andre's a powerful man with wide reach and somewhere, some place in some assignment there's probably someone who's not as he or she appears."

"Isn't it always like that," Denton said, "of course it used to be foreign operatives interested in espionage…"

"The players have changed but not the plays themselves."

Sally looked at both of them.

"I'm ready to go," she said, "Are we going to do anything or just stand around talking about it?"

Denton looked at the young woman and shook her head.

"Rookies…you just wait Sally, the day will come when you'll become just as cynical and jaded as Jonathan here."

She shrugged and reached to tighten the straps on her boots.

"I'm ready to go, what about you two old men?"

* * *

C.J. had finished pressing Matt but she still worried about him as they continued down the corridor. But he just smiled at her and they kept walking, poised to handle anything that they might encounter. The layout of the compound proved again to be downright treacherous in its own way, bringing back memories of her escape from the other compound. Sometimes she thought it had been sheer luck that led her to the right exit. But then when she had crashed through a window, it hadn't been without injuries that now scarred her body.

"I hear some voices," Vince said, suddenly.

They all paused to listen.

* * *

Andre paced as he spoke on the telephone.

"There's no need to send in any of your forces…I've got everything under control."

"That's not what I heard Andre," the Jaguar said, "You've got a woman running loose who is my property and I can't afford any delays in her delivery. I'm on a tight schedule."

"She will be caught soon," Andre said, "I told you that no one can escape from this compound and if they did, the jungle's much more treacherous than was the forest in Washington."

"She escaped from there, she could do the same here," the Jaguar said, "I can't afford to lose her unless…I get that other young woman to compensate me for that loss."

"That won't be necessary," Andre insisted, "and we had a deal."

"I would say that this latest series of problems has nullified that deal," the Jaguar said, "You have two hours to find her and get her prepared to send to me with my representative or I'll take both women in payment."

"But…"

"Either that or I will send my considerable forces to take over your operation," the Jaguar said, "There's been too many problems lately because you've allowed your obsession with one insignificant woman get the better of you."

"She means nothing," he said, "I have sufficiently broken here in for your needs."

The Jaguar chuckled mirthlessly.

"I can see that," he said, "That's why she's running around loose when she should be locked up awaiting transport to me tomorrow. Her first engagement with a select client is in several weeks and I don't know whether she's ready."

"She is willful and will fight at first," Andre said, "but that man is her weakness. Maybe it would be wiser to still keep him alive."

"I thought you killed Mr. Houston."

"He…still lives and maybe that's best," Andre said, "If you want her to cooperate, then that might be facilitated by holding his life over her head."

"My clients for her want their woman to be…spirited," he said, "Adds to their pleasure, their need to dominate a woman in some area of their lives."

"Fine…My men will catch up with her and she'll be on her way to you tomorrow morning," he said, "Then I'll keep her boyfriend here indefinitely and send visual reminders for her to remain motivated in giving you and your clients their money's worth."

The Jaguar appeared to think about that.

"Okay…I'll give you two hours," he said, "and I agree, it will be best to just kill the rest of them except Houston but he must never be allowed to escape himself."

Andre agreed, because if that happened, they both knew that Matt would never stop trying to find her and through his considerable experience, talents and sheer will, he could do what most others could not when it came to the woman he loved. He hung up the phone and turned to look at the man with the blue eyes who looked at him expectedly.

"I have two more hours…it will be faster if you help me find her."

"He wants her undamaged," the man said, "Even I'm not allowed to mishandle her…though it is tempting."

Andre smiled.

"Your boss will enjoy this one very much as long as he remembers what motivates her."

After all, he had used Matt as leverage against her during the time in Washington because of the strong feelings he knew she had for that man. But the love they shared had no place in his world except as using one as a chip to force the hand of the other and that would work for the Jaguar as well.

He hadn't used that chip against her right away because he wanted her to fight him that first time he took what he wanted from her by force. To teach her that to physically fight against his greater strength would prove useless as it would surely prove against the Jaguar. She had realized that when he had simply allowed her to wear herself out fighting him unable to stop him from using her. Then it had been a matter of process to ensure her cooperation by threatening Matt. He had the man power available to follow him around the world and take him out with a single phone call or text from him ordering it done. All he had really needed were photos taken of the unsuspecting millionaire traveling under the radar to motivate her to remain in his bed as he took more and more from her.

Then the time spent with her had been more satisfying, to know that she would allow him to use her body as he saw fit, to save someone else. He knew that she would never love him but that didn't matter, it proved to be enough that she loved at all for him to control her.

He knew what the Jaguar had planned for her and he disapproved of it but it was out of his hands, simply another business deal brokered between the two partners to keep one from dominating the other, the uneasy dynamic between them remaining shaking in place at least for the time being.  
For her sake, he hoped that she wouldn't live a long life in the hands of his more brutal counterpart. Not that he could involve himself in that affair.

Because after all, Andre had plans of his own for the future of his business, looking forward to the day when he would reign supreme.

* * *

C.J. and Matt approached the door and they could hear faint voices on the other side of it.

"I think it sounds like Andre," she said, "but he's not alone."

The door opened and a man left that they recognized as the man who served the trafficker who had bought C.J. She swallowed some revulsion as they pinned themselves into the darkness as not to give themselves away. Past them, walked some guards who entered into Andre's office, most likely to give him a report on how they hadn't caught up with C.J. and her friends.

"If we can get him alone…"

C.J. looked up at Matt and she knew that would be necessary to have any chance of getting the upper hand on Andre, something she dearly wanted to do herself.

"But how…"

Elena looked up at them solemnly.

"I can help you do that…"


	111. Chapter 111

Chapter 111===the next installment is up, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

She knocked on the door and listened for the voice on the other side.

"Who is it?"

She took a deep breath; forcing her heart rate to slow down for fear that he could sense it even with the reinforced panel of wood between them.

"It's me, Elena."

She waited patiently to hear the footsteps that she knew would be approaching the door to open it. Why wouldn't he, he knew he had nothing to concern himself about her. He hadn't known that she had turned.

And she heard the door click open and saw Andre standing in front of her, smiling. She forced her eyes to meet his own.

"What is it," he asked softly.

"I…"

Suddenly some guards rushed in past her, brushing her with their bodies and paying no mind that she even stood there. Or that several feet away the people that they sought stood patiently waiting for the chance to act.

"Mr. Duval, we need to alert you that there are some forces outside, probably U.S. government surrounding the front of the compound."

Andre stared at them.

"I've been expecting them," he said, "but not this soon. How many of them?"

"Several dozen visible which means twice that many that are hiding," one guard said.

Andre thought quickly having been in this situation many times before, he didn't have the forces of his own to fight them. But he had several secret passageways out of this compound that led to both the airstrip and the harbor plus plenty of people loyal to his on this island to assist him.

Of course there were those who were disloyal because otherwise the law enforcement agencies in the United States wouldn't have found him.

"Plan the evacuation of the primaries and our remaining guests."

The guard nodded and they sped off to carry out his order.

Elena looked at him, alarmed.

"Andre, what is going on?"

He sighed.

"We're going to be leaving for a little while…"

"Again, like happened in Washington?"

He nodded.

"But we've got compounds like this one all over the world," he said, "Get your things together quickly and we'll head out to the south exit."

Elena just looked at him and nodded.

"I'm…frightened."

He stroked her face gently and smiled again.

"There's no need to be Elena," he said, "I will look after you…as I've always done."

She felt his love for her, as close as she guessed he would be capable of it but the man had done some very evil things and she could no longer help him.

"What's going to happen…are you going to keep conducting your business?"

He looked at her suddenly.

"Elena, it's not what you think," he said, "It's time for me to share with you more fully what I do."

She felt the fear that she felt begin to be replaced with revulsion. There he stood preparing to share his life with her, the life where he bought and sold human beings to be exploited as if they were simply commodities.

"Why do you do this," she said, "I know that…that woman didn't want to be with you."

He nodded.

"You mean the one who escaped," he said, "No…she didn't know what she really wanted. I provided for her, everything that she needed and she betrayed me."

Elena shook her head slowly.

"You kidnapped her…you forced her to your compound and then you raped her."

Andre's eyes widened.

"Is that what you think…or is that what you've been told?"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"No…that's what I've seen…"

Matt and C.J. stood with the others listening to the muffled voices of two people talking in the next room. Elena had gotten access to where Andre had gone and the two were talking.

"I wonder what she's saying," C.J. asked, "something about a south passage…and forces outside the compound…that's why the guards were here."

Matt turned to Vince and Brody.

"We need you to go find out where those guards are going," he said, "that might our way out and then come back and meet up with us."

"What are you going to be doing," Vince asked.

"I've got some business to conduct here."

Vince sighed.

"Are you sure you can handle it," he said, "We can…"

"We're fine," Matt said, "You need to go and help us find a way out of here. If those commandos raid the front, we might get caught in the crossfire and I don't want that for C.J. or Elena."

Antonio didn't look too happy.

"I'm not leaving my sister in there with that monster."

C.J. looked over at him.

"He won't hurt her," she said, "but if you stay, you'll have do as we want."

Matt glared at him.

"Understand that," he said, "because I still don't trust you."

By the look Antonio shot at him, the feeling definitely was mutual. Matt and C.J. watched as Vince and Brody along with Zeke took off to look for the escape route. They proceeded in the direction they thought the guards had gone.

That left the three of them and C.J. looked over at Matt whose eyes fluttered. She stroked his arm.

"You okay?"

He hesitated, gritting his teeth and then he nodded.

"Let's get going…."

Andre looked up suddenly from Elena as the door swung open and he saw Matt and C.J. standing there.

"I was expecting you," he said, "Now all we have to do is wait for that traitor Antonio to show up."

Matt just shook his head.

"We don't trust him either," he said, "He changes sides on a dime."

Andre gestured to the door and Matt turned around to see another guard pointing a gun at both of them. Then he felt a wave of dizziness hit him and he struggled suddenly to stay on his feet.

"Feeling under the weather Mr. Houston?"

Matt suddenly saw a wall of light in front of his eyes and his legs weaken. C.J. looked over at him and suddenly her eyes widened. A large stain of blood appeared on his shirt, spreading. Andre saw it too.

"Ah Mr. Houston, one of those bullets fired found its target after all."

Matt barely heard his words as he turned towards the women.

"C.J…"

She tried to grab hold of him around his waist but she couldn't prevent him from collapsing on the floor. Andre walked over to where he lay and looked down at him.

"Doesn't look like he's going to be with us much longer," he said, "Bullet must have hit a major vessel and any movement can cause further bleeding…the right movement and he'll bleed out in a matter of seconds."

C.J. looked at him horrified as she knelt beside Matt trying to find a pulse. She did but it appeared weak and thready. He had been suffering all this time and hadn't wanted anyone to know. Maybe he hadn't known either.

Andre put his boot on top of Matt's chest.

"The wrong move can speed the process," he said, "and when he's gone, then you will be handed over to your new owner and that's where we'll part ways."

C.J. stared at him, bile in her throat.

"There are commandos outside ready to raid this place," she said, "and they'll gather you all up and lock you up somewhere."

He just chuckled.

"Like they did in Washington," he said, "All we have to do is pack up a few things and head out of here to another compound, one of many around the world."

"They'll find you wherever you go Andre," she said, "They'll hunt you down like a rabid dog."

He shook his head.

"I doubt that and it won't matter to him," he said, looking at a prone Matt, "because he'll be dead and it won't help you because you'll be somewhere no one can find you spending the rest of your life as someone's whore."

"No, I'm not going with anyone."

He laughed again.

"You'll be spreading your legs for more men and making someone a lot of money," he said, "Someone who doesn't care about you like I did. Who will toss out like garbage when he's done with you."

C.J. closed her mind to the picture he had painted for her of the rest of her life. She wasn't going to listen to him try to exercise any power he had over here because she wasn't his captive anymore.

"Andre, you don't rape someone that you care about," she said, "so why don't you just drop the _soliloquy?"_

_If he was startled by her dismissal he didn't show it. But for him to claim he cared about here when he had spent many years stalking her everywhere she went, intruding into different areas of her life waiting the day he would have men grab her from inside a parking garage and bring her to him as his possession. She had lived her life having no idea that this nightmare had already been planned out by a shadowy figure except for those mysterious missives she had received from time to time, interrupting some of her brightest moments of accomplishment and her deepest moments of despair. What kind of man spent so much time keeping tabs on a young woman who had crossed his path one fateful night? _

_And he had killed women in that time, dozens of them perhaps, because they had looked like her. She had spent her whole life wondering why everywhere she went, young women with long brunette hair and sparkling eyes either disappeared or were discovered dead. _

_The last thing these women ever saw were the pair of dark eyes she looked into right now. She had experienced the horror that they had but she had lived. A reality she had no intention of changing. _

_"I'm not going anywhere but out of here with my friends," she said, "I'm going to leave it to the feds to clean up this place and they're going to come in here and take you back in chains and shackles to stand trial for everything you've ever done."_

_He chuckled. _

_"They won't do any such thing," he said, "I have friends everywhere in powerful places including inside federal agencies. Surely you figured that out already."_

_She had, when assassins had found her despite the attempts of the U.S. Marshal's office to protect her including some masquerading as agents. _

_"I think you've exhausted all of your friends by now," she said, "and the rest are going to get you, dead or alive. I prefer dead of course but that's just that there's not much I want to remember you by."_

_He tilted his head. _

_"I took good care of you," he said, "I fed you, sheltered you and if you had cooperated, you would have grown to care for me."_

_She spit in his face then as the disgust hit her in a rush. _

_"Your men abducted me in a parking lot, they drove me here and then they brought me to you. I didn't even know where I was, or what had happened. Then I looked up and I see this familiar face and the voice…I remembered the voice…telling me to take off my clothes. I wouldn't you remember and then you slapped me so hard, I fell and then you tore them off."_

_"You wouldn't allow me to do it right."_

_Her eyes widened. _

_"Do what right Andre…You had no business telling me what I wanted. I didn't want the hands of the man I hated touching me…everywhere on that floor. And when you held me down so I couldn't move…could barely breathe and I felt you…I didn't want that from someone I despised….I just lay there counting the seconds in my head until you would get off me and just leave…and I wanted to die so much…Sometimes I still do."_

_He shook his head again and his eyes didn't meet her this time._

_"I didn't…"_

_"Oh yes you did," she said, "I lay there for hours it seemed, with my eyes closed and your smell all over me…I got up and I went in the shower, and I stayed there trying to wash you away…any trace of you but I couldn't…I couldn't erase what you had done…and kept doing."_

_"You didn't fight me after that first time."_

_She looked him dead in the eye and this time he couldn't escape._

_"Because you had penetrated my life so much you knew my weaknesses….and you're right…I love him enough to go through anything just to keep him alive…even letting you rape me. But I lie there while you forced yourself and thought of all the different ways I wanted to kill you…and then when I couldn't do that, I thought instead of every moment of happiness I shared with him…just to get through it."_

_"Why?"_

_She sighed. _

_"Because I love him so much more than I hate you."_

_He blinked his eyes; the first time she had ever seen him do that. _

_"If I kill him now…"_

_"I'll still have that with him," she said, "And I'll spend the rest of my life, every minute of it, fighting against you and whoever tries to take from me what's left…and if I have a chance, I'll kill anyone I can."_

_She knelt beside the man she loved who lay there unseeing and unhearing, fighting his own battle for his life and she looked up at Andre. _

_"Do your worst but you'll never get what you want from me," she said, "You kill him and I'll make sure there's nothing left of me to take anymore."_

_"You wouldn't…"_

_"I'm already dead Andre," she said, "Just try me."_

_And just with those words, the two of them remained in a standoff, awaiting the other to make the next move. _


	112. Chapter 112

The latest installment of this super long fan fiction story is up! Thanks for reading, and the feedback!

* * *

Matt's vision began to blur, his hearing to fade but he had held onto the words that C.J. had been speaking, wishing he could do more than just lie on the floor and listen. Because although he lay still in a growing pool of his own blood, a part of him remained to watch and listen as long as his senses would remain.

But he knew that the life had begun to leave him, as his body weakened from the bullet that had pierced his chest, one he hadn't even felt as his body had been flushed with adrenalin.

Each gunshot wound proved to be highly individualistic like snowflakes perhaps, meaning that no two of them ever were alike. He had the scars to prove it and that he had led an eventful if dangerous life that had nearly resulted in an endgame.

His worst bullet wounds had led to his father and C.J. having to place him in a rehab hospital to recover, only he found the place of rest and recuperation to be even more dangerous than the outside world he had temporarily left behind. He had been shot on a rescue mission, mostly dinged in the shoulder which had needed a couple of surgeries to set right again, and even that hadn't stopped it from aching a bit when the barometric pressure dropped.

But what just had to beat everything was getting shot on two separate occasions by two brothers miles apart. That hadn't happened to him before but several years ago he had been hit in the shoulder when Marquis Duval, who was definitely his father's son while trying to flee an unsuccessful assassination attempt. And now he had been shot by his half brother if not in a friendly sense, Andre. The man who made the legitimate heir to the Duval legacy a paean of virtue in comparison, something he never would have believed possible.

But while Marquis, Jr. had been an unapologetic hit man working with a cell of terrorists, Andre had been a human trafficker, who bought and sold women including his best friend who had finally been able to confront him. Matt had known many brave people, he had even been called that himself and given medals for exercising it in trying situations but for the first time, he had really seen the most extreme form of courage. To do like she did and stand up to the man who terrorized her like she did throwing his crimes in his face, even though she faced an even worse fate, that caused Matt to reevaluate his definition of the word that seemed to be tossed about quite easily.

Now if he could just do his part in ending this nightmare once and for all. To find the strength to get up and back up the woman that he had loved most of his life when she needed him. But all the mental will in the world couldn't make it so. Each second that lapsed on some unseen clock, he felt his strength continue to ebb. He knew the liquid his hand had touched, had been his own blood. Not exactly a strange sight, but this time…he wasn't anywhere close to a medical facility let alone a surgery bay. He had closed his eyes but didn't like what he saw there either. His friends being caught and executed, with him being the last, dying with the knowledge that his friend would suffer a lot longer than he would before joining him in the thereafter.

Anger filled him, so palpable it threatened to breach the languor that had seized his body, for a split second when it hit, he thought he would rise up and overcome what might be a fatal injury but he would only lift up his head several inches and move his legs before pain hit. Then another wave of shock would reverberate.

So he resigned himself to watching what unfolded in front of him, a position he loathed but not one he could change.

C.J. had risen from beside him and had planted her feet on the floor, staring at Andre unwilling to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that all she wanted to do was run. But she had been there, done that and that part of her life was finished.

He looked at her as if she were prey, believing that the woman who stood in front of him had returned as she had left him, as if time had stood still. Because the part of her that had changed, she kept tightly bound inside of her where no one could see it. She knew the way he wanted her to look at him, the stance for her to take as if she didn't dare challenge him. But to hell with that, she had decided.

"You don't know what he's like because you don't remember," he told her, "I care about you a great deal. With him, it's all business and he'll use you up until he's through with you."

She tilted her head.

"If you really cared, you'd let me go…"

A wave of conflict stirred on his face but she knew it meant nothing. The cord of self control that ran through him had been honed over years of being molded into what he would become. Any emotions that he had that didn't fit his destiny had been wiped clean by the experiences that had shaped him.

"You shouldn't have run…the first time," Andre said, "then I never would have sold you."

She remembered that day when she had escaped without a plan, just because the opportunity had arisen when a breach had occurred in his security. Fernando had shown her a way out and even though she hadn't trusted his intentions, she had looked both ways and had started running. Not that far as it turned out, only several hallways and into an abandoned office where she had hidden trying to decide what to do until the guards found her.

"You thought you could save his life, didn't you," he continued, "but once a man betrays me, and he doesn't get a second chance."

Neither did the women, she wanted to add but after she had for the first time offered what he usually took from her, it hadn't made any difference. Even as she reached for her clothing, Andre had pulled out a gun and had shot his own guard point blank in front of her.

"For a moment I thought you had finally been broken," he said, "but it was to save one of the men who brought you to me that night and stood out with Antonio listening to your screams."

She had known that too.

"Did he help you then," Andre said, "He was protecting someone else…"

She knew who that person was and wondered if he did and how he would react if that final woman in a line had betrayed him. After all, she and the other faceless women who had wound up abused or dead at his hands had come after that first one who had crossed him.

"You don't know, do you?"

* * *

Jonathan looked through the night goggles that some military liaison had handed to him. There were reddish shapes, surrounded by halos of orange and yellow congregated near the front gate and he would make out more movement behind it as well. He signaled to Simon and Sally.

"I think we're making a mistake not looking for side passages in," he said, "That looks the most fortified up front and in back."

Sally nodded.

"I agree but they're not exactly listening to us," she said, "They're the military, the commandos, they look at us as little more as desk jockeys."

Jonathan sighed, not wanting to be reminded of that fact.

"Then let's get a small squad of our guys…"

Simon spun around and folded his arms.

"Absolutely not," he said, "We're here to assist, we're probably lucky they let us come here."

Jonathan shook his head.

"I don't feel lucky," he said, "I feel like this operation could go very badly if they rush in the front and back. There are some innocent people in there."

"Who created their own dangerous situation by barging in there unprepared…?"

"Matt had gotten kidnapped," Jonathan said, "There's no way that our witness was going to sit on her hands."

After all, C.J. had taken matters in her own hands the night that all three of them had been caught up in that situation with Andre and left to die inside a burning building. He and Julia had been locked up in some room and if it hadn't been for C.J….well he wouldn't be here right now challenging the best laid plans of the military.

He still couldn't believe that what had transpired and had been interrupted years ago in Boston at what had started as an innocent party involving college students and young professionals had catalyzed what they were faced with now. If Andre hadn't been stopped from carrying out his plans by men working for his father, where would he be today? If his father and half-brother hadn't been busted by Matt and C.J., would the only remaining free Duval have grown this powerful, with a reach all over the world and his hands into some of the most odious practices imaginable. What had happened back then on the day that he had met C.J. while tending bar at the place they both worked had consequences that had been felt by probably thousands of people including women caught up in Andre's trafficking operation that he had run with as of yet unidentified partners. Perhaps some of them being inside the compound with him right now, just within range of being busted alongside the feds' quarry.

He handed the night goggles back to a young man dressed in military garb that just nodded and then went to find his commanding officer. Looking back at the compounded shrouded by jungle and darkness, he knew his own relationship with C.J. had both ripened and then wilted as a result of the events that had played out in that burning house.

The memories of which came to mind as he focused on the scene in front of him awaiting an order to move in. An order he hoped he wouldn't live to regret.

* * *

Elena had watched the exchange between the man she worked with who had plucked her from an auction and the woman she had befriended. But looking down at Matt, she knelt down to tend to the wounded man. She didn't know what to do but she knew she had to find something, anything relatively clean to apply direct pressure on the wound to try to stop the bleeding. If that didn't work, then she had to find the pressure point near the wound, in this case the brachial artery to apply gentler pressure on instead, to press it against the humerus bone to seal off the flow of blood from leaving his body.

She felt his pulse and he stirred from her touch.

"C.J…"

She shook her head.

"It's me…Elena…I'm trying to help you," she said, "You're really bleeding."

He knew that but with each passing moment, it mattered less to him. When those thoughts flickered like a dying candle inside his head, he turned his focus onto C.J. and what she had been saying to Andre. When she had been lying in the security of his arms around her on the couch at the bungalow while they listened to rain pepper the roof, she had told him about the night she had a difficult choice to make to save a man's life.

The one and only time she had gone to Andre if not willingly at least on her own volition. She had bit her slip so hard it nearly bled to walk towards him, to attract his attention away from Fernando. She had forced her hands on his chest, unbuttoning his silk shirt, until she caressed it off of his muscular frame. Counting to ten inside her head to keep from screaming, she had drawn him closer to her and he had responded, pushing her against the wall, hard kisses on her face and on her neck before she let him take her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she had watched the guard lying on the ground struggling to regain consciousness. The man who had kept a secret for Elena, who would surely be tortured for information before disposal unless she came up with a quick plan to distract Andre.

She shook in Matt's embrace as she related that incident piecemeal in between harsh breaths and attempts to keep her heart from racing away from her. He had simply tightened his embrace and she relaxed enough to keep talking until she had been out of words, stroking her face and saying anything that came to mind after she had finished. She had wanted him so much to understand why she had done what she did but as it turned out, one of the most dreaded of confessions inside her hadn't changed his feelings for her at all.

And she had fallen asleep in his arms with a calm expression on her face, secure in the knowledge that he loved her.

Elena didn't know this but clearly her loyalty to the man who had cared for and sheltered her since she had been a young girl had shifted. Reconciling the man she knew with his more violent side had left her shaken but Matt hadn't seen her eyes shedding any tears for what she lost but simply grow more resolute, more determined to help them.

And so she sat there beside Matt watching what had been taking place, knowing that if she did what she needed to do before walking away from him, nothing would ever be the same.

"Elena…"

She looked up at the face that had often smiled at her, the eyes that lit up when she walked into the room. The man who had hid his cruelty from her, with the ease of flipping a switch now stood exposed in front of her.

"Yes Andre?"

He smiled at her while keeping an eye on C.J.

"I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

His eyes had a hue in them that she had only recently learned to challenge.

"I need you to turn around and walk outside that door…"

She stood between him indecisive but not for very long.


	113. Chapter 113

Another installment up, hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading!

* * *

Elena looked up at Andre and shook her head. His brows rose slightly as if he hadn't been prepared for her response.

She supposed that he wouldn't be used to her disagreeing with an order that he had given her given that she had obeyed him as long as she had known him. She had vague memories of standing alone on a hard floor inside a darkened room filled with people; the only spotlight had been on her. It had been much different than the days and nights she had spent inside a cramped room sleeping on the floor with other children her age lined up next to each other, their bodies touching.

As a young girl, she hadn't understood what had happened then and today, she still didn't know what had really happened to her years ago. The memories had faded with passing time, the sights, sounds and odors of a very confusing period seemed remote from her now.

But she had grown up in much different surroundings than what she had forgotten. She never wanted for delicious and plentiful food, nice clothing to wear and she had worked her way up from a domestic who cleaned floors as a child to the assistant of the most powerful man she knew. He had always been good to her, displayed affection in place of the family she didn't remember. When he had walked into a room to see her, she had always been filled with happiness at the sight of him. Especially when he returned after his business trips which took him away so frequently.

He had been the closest thing she had to family most of her life. It had all seemed perfect in an imperfect world.

But she discovered that the man who had brought light into her life, had a dark side as well that she had just begun to learn about, that other side of him. The man who had shot Matt and had done unspeakable things to the woman she had befriended.

"I'm not leaving him."

The firmness in her voice surprised him further, she could tell. But Matt had been struck by a bullet that could cause him to bleed out if he moved an inch. How she knew this she couldn't answer for herself but she sensed it. His life held precariously in the balance, one wrong move and he'd die within seconds. She looked up at Andre again, and then knelt down beside him.

C.J. watched the young woman's capable hands probe the wound and then she looked around for anything to apply direct pressure to stanch the bleeding. Elena didn't know when they'd get out of here but she knew enough to know that Andre wouldn't let them go. She knew that the young woman, still a girl in some ways had a very difficult decision to make.

"C.J…"

Elena looked down at him and stroked his brow as she applied pressure. C.J knelt down beside him too daring Andre to do something to stop her but he just stood there unmoving.

"I'm right here…"

She reached for his hand and held it in both of her rubbing it vigorously to transfer some of her own warmth into him.

"Don't wait for me…go…"

"Shut up Houston," she said, "I don't think either of us is going anywhere anyway."

Her heart ached even as she felt it inch up her throat. She didn't know much about bullet wounds beyond her own experience with them but she knew that the one Matt suffered probably could be fixed readily enough in a medical facility which they just happened to be nowhere close.

"I can't stop it," Elena said, "I only know basic medical care when any of the women were sick. His injury's too serious."

C.J. looked up at Andre.

"You can let him go."

He folded his arms.

"You think that you can appeal to my mercy," he said, "He's dying, you're on your way to the Jaguar and Elena and I will be leaving before the Calvary as you call it storms the compound."

She didn't budge her heart beating quickly as she tried to find a way to save him. Elena pressed some cloth after C.J. grabbed some cloth off of a sofa. As she did so, she looked up at Andre.

"I'm not going with you."

He sighed.

"You will Elena," he said, "The rest of the guests are already getting ready to head to the airstrip and they'll be up to get her soon. As soon as we take care of him and the security men rig the explosives, we will both leave."

She looked around the room.

"Why you are doing that," she said, "trying to kill all these people. What kind of man are you?"

Andre looked at her thoughtfully, the beautiful young woman who bore little resemblance to the wide eyed girl he saved.

"I'm the man you've always known," he said, "The one who raised you and took care of you, made you were happy and safe."

"I don't feel safe Andre," she said, "Everything is falling apart can't you see that, and we're running away like animals. As if we did wrong."

"Elena…"

Her expression changed and her eyes looked sad.

"But you are what's wrong…"

His brows furrowed then and she wondered if she had angered him.

"Elena, I've always been there when you needed me," he said, "I have…this other life, my business but it has nothing to do with you."

She looked at him incredulous that he could think that about her, that she could fit in some compartmentalized area of his life, forgetting the evil that he did.

"How can you say that," she said, "Now that I know the truth."

"You don't know all of it," he said, "You don't know why we engage in the business that we do. Without us, many of these women, the children would have no lives at all. Their own parents and villages don't want them. We take these unwanted women and children in, we feed and shelter them and give them new lives."

Elena shook her head at how much he sounded as if he believed his own lies, how much he wanted her to believe them. He sighed, looking at her.

"Your own parents didn't want you…they sold their own daughter and if I hadn't been there…"

She closed her eyes then because she knew now because of the man who had saved her how worse it could have been for her. The life she had known in the village where days had been spent trying to eke out an existence had been harder than her life had been with him but her parents, maybe they had made the most difficult decision to sell their own child. But then again...she looked up at him again.

"My sister…what happened to her?"

Andre looked at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

His demeanor made her want to scream at him. She hadn't even known she had an older sister or even a brother for that matter until Antonio…she wondered where he was now. With the others, or still playing both sides against each other, her only real family because at least he had risked everything and put aside his own life to come looking for her.

"Sierra…the one you killed before you abducted her."

Andre closed his eyes for a moment.

"There were complications Elena…and it's best you don't know about them."

C.J. watched the exchange while still holding onto Matt's hand. She remained poised to act if an opportunity arose, anything to find a way to get him out of here so he could be saved.

"She tried to run Elena…she was going to take you from me"

The woman looked at him incredulously.

"She was…why do you say that?"

He sighed and a realization hit Elena.

"She knew we were sisters," she said, "Like Antonio is my brother."

If he were surprised by her revelation he didn't show it but then he had always been the master of hiding his emotions, only showing her or anyone else what he wanted them to see.

"He's not your only one…"

Elena looked at him her eyes widening.

"What do you mean?"

But Andre didn't elaborate further, but looked over at C.J. and Matt.

"The Jaguar's man is waiting to come and get her," Andre said, "He'll need a detail of my guards to help her."

He reached for his radio and that's when C.J. leapt up.

"Wait…I'll go with him if you let him go."

Andre tilted his head.

"You have no standing on which to ask to spare your friends," he said, "If the Jaguar is to be handle you; I can never let him go."

"But he's dying," she continued, "If he dies, you or no one else will be able to control me."

He smiled.

"There's no escape for you. His compound is more secured, more remote and you will never be out of guard's site even while with your…customers. You will never be out of anyone's sight."

She looked away from him at the door wondering where Antonio had gone.

"The Jaguar takes good care of his whores," Andre said, "And you're a particular prize to him but he's more of a businessman than me, he'll hold onto his investment until he's used up all its value."

"You're both monsters," she said, "Why do you bother to separate yourselves?"

"I'm no monster C.J.," he said, "Unlike him, I cared about you, and I'm a businessman who takes good care of my investments.."

"I'll bet…you're both anything but…"

Andre sighed.

"You'll find out that there are men out there worse than me, who don't care about the women they own."

* * *

Matt struggled to keep from slipping under the current that refused to release its grip on him. He tried to open his eyes, struggled to keep the life from fading from his limbs but what had grabbed him had proven to be much stronger. He felt a chill permeate where there had been warmth as if the sun had slipped below the horizon replaced by the coldness of night.

The river rushed in his ears as the two of them sat around a fire wrapped in blankets that bore the pattern of many colors. He recognized the area he could see not shrouded in darkness as a place that they often hiked to after moving to California. Whereas when C.J. had been going to law school back east, they had ridden his motorcycle to vacation in beach resorts, in their home they often hit the trails that snaked around Area Mountains and set up camp near the top, where the trees could shelter them if needed.

"Penny for your thoughts…"

Her voice had interrupted his own thoughts and he gazed over at the woman who had been his best friend for nearly as long as he could remember. The girl who had been his partner in crime, who had worked the ranches alongside them until their muscles cramped and their hands blistered. The one who had grown up when he hadn't been looking into someone spectacular, so much so he felt the bonds of their friendship chafe him for the first time. She sat near him now, her dark hair spilling around her face that bore piercing hazel eyes and lips that he had to stop himself from tracing with his fingers.

Beauty and brains someone had said about her to him while asking him if it would be okay to ask her out. He had set that man straight telling him that they were just close friends, nothing more. A lie he knew as he watched her eat the fried fish that the two of them had caught in the mountain stream chock full of them.

The vision of her started to fade in front of him and he held onto it.

"Houston…there's someone out there in the darkness waiting…"

He saw himself chuckle, why had he done that back then when she had been trying to tell him…

"There's no one here but the two of us."

Not quite true, also there had been that wanting to reach over and touch her skin, to feel its softness beneath his fingers, the silkiness of her hair. He wanted to go back then and tell her but the tug of the current was insistent in taking him with it. He left the mountains and their campsite and he felt a choking sensation so palpable that his lungs now burned.

Then he looked around him and saw the fire.

They were inside an office, having ducked under furniture after the gunshots from a silencer had struck their friend, Andrea. She had spun around in a chair while talking and they looked in horror at the bullet in her chest, her eyes still open. No blood, the bullet had stolen her life too quickly.

Matt's heart had ached, remembering how he had fallen for the young blonde police officer on an earlier case, wanting to sail off to Tahiti with her in his yacht. She had risked everything including her career to help him clear his name of murder charges. Now she had paid the ultimate price for her loyalty.

"We've got to get out of here," C.J. said to him and he nodded quietly.

They headed toward a window even as a man's voice rang through the building about how useless it was to escape. For a moment, the believed that, just long enough for her to tell him that she loved him. He felt a deep pang fill his chest penetrating the chill that surrounded him that he had left her admission go unanswered. And now…his life slipped away from him no matter how hard he tried to find something in the rapids to grab onto, anything. But the sides of the rock face were smooth with no cracks and his fingers slid uselessly over them. He had to fight, he had to find something to grab onto just so that he could release the stream of words buried inside him for so long.

* * *

C.J. stroked his still face, and her fingers fell on his neck where she found his pulse to be rapid but weaker, his heart working hard to resist the pull against it to stop its beat forever.

"Houston don't…"

She heard a man chuckle behind her and she spun around to face him.

"He can't hear you," Andre said, "He's dying and then that part of you that resists will die with him. It might work out better this way for the both of us."

She gritted her teeth at him.

"He's not going to die," she said, "because you're going to let the paramedics get him."

That appeared to amuse him and he approached her.

"And if I don't…"

C.J.'s eyes never left his own and she pulled something out of her clothing.

"I'll take this out of your hands," she said, "and away from your control…"

In her hand, she held a knife.

"I'll use it…and then when the both of us are dead, you'll have nothing to settle your debt with the Jaguar except…"

His eyes widened then and she knew she had him. For the first time since this nightmare had invaded her life, she felt in control.


	114. Chapter 114

Another installment up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

She whispered words in his ears as he once had done for her, when she had been the one lying so still, walking the fine line between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. It had once been her lying on a cot inside an abandoned lighthouse wrapped in stifling heat. She had been shot while she and Matt had been trying to leave with a blood sample from a young heiress who had been brainwashed by a religious cult out for her inheritance. The two of them had believed that drugs had played a role in the young girl's compliance so they had somehow gotten some hopefully incriminating evidence from her blood.

Instead within a matter of seconds, her own blood had been spilling on the glass where she fell not far from their helicopter. She had been fading fast, stunned by the ferocious blow that had struck her suddenly, but even as her vision blurred, she saw his worried face looking down at her, his hand warm in her own cold one. Then the world had gone black.

She had very little memory of the two days that she had been held captive with Matt and another man who had been a medical student. And that had probably been for the best because the vestiges she did remember had been marred with blinding pain as if a fresh poker that had been submerged in flame had pressed against her flesh until the heat had faded. Only the pain didn't and she hadn't been able to form a cohesive thought until she woke up in the hospital with Matt sitting beside her, still holding her hand. When she had seen him, his face betraying signs of a beard and his eyes reddened by lack of sleep, she knew that she had chosen the right man to love.

Even if he didn't view that word in the same way.

Now it had been her turn to watch over him while he lay mortally wounded endless miles away from medical help. Even if the reinforcements which were likely surrounding the compound rushed in to apprehend Andre and the others of his ilk who hadn't escaped yet like cowards in the stillness of the night in the jungle, it might be too late to save him.

* * *

Matt didn't see her, and he barely heard her being shrouded in a blinding fog which muffled his ears like cotton. But he sensed her presence there, the flowery scent of her shampoo and the familiar beat of her heart. Her whispers reached him like bursts of light which he tried to reach but something held him back, like a shadow.

"He's going to die…even if they do come in the compound," Andre said, "and we'll be long gone."

The man with the blue eyes suddenly rushed in the room.

"Are you ready to go…?"

Andre looked up at him.

"In a moment…we're waiting for Mr. Houston to die…"

The man shook his head.

"Why not just finish him off," he said, "It'll take one bullet in the right spot…We've got to get out of her and I've got to take her with us."

"She's staying here until he dies," Andre said, "I want her to see it so she realizes how futile resisting is, that way she won't even try to run."

The man sighed.

"We've got measures where she's going to take care of that," he said, "to remove any vestige of such ideas from her head permanently."

"She's not yours until I turn her over to you," Andre said, "and that will be after he dies and we leave."

The man folded his arms.

"She's the Jaguar's property since I called him and told him we'd be heading to the plane to fly out of here. I don't intend on waiting around to get arrested. I'll leave that to you."

C.J. just watched the two of them argue over her fate while she stayed with Matt. Elena stepped in between them.

"Shut up the both of you," she said, "I can't stand to hear this."

The two men looked at her, both surprised.

"Elena…"

She pointed her index finger at Andre.

"No…this woman is not your property…You cannot use people like that simply because you believe you have that right….It's wrong…it's evil…"

Andre sighed.

"You don't understand Elena," he said, "Many of these women had no futures in their own countries, no reasons to live except to be used by the men there…here they have shelter and food and don't have to sell themselves to survive."

She narrowed her eyes at him incredulously.

"No…they don't sell themselves…you do that…and then you get rich off of it…Oh you give some money to these charitable foundations that help women in crisis…like that one in Houston…but it's guilt money, that's all."

C.J. watched the young woman unleash her anger and wondered if Elena knew how much she had been harboring and for how long. The man with the blue eyes looked at her, a smile curling on his mouth.

"So much spirit this one," he said, "Now I know why he wanted her so much…"

Andre shot him a deadly look.

"He'll never get his hands on her," he said, "Not as long as I'm here to stop him."

Elena looked from one to the other in shock.

"What is going on here," she said, "What are you talking about…?"

The men remained silent and she turned her attention to the man who had once saved her.

"Andre?"

He closed his eyes, one of the few times C.J. had seen him do that and then when he opened them finally, C.J. thought she saw something akin to pain, but then it could have been the lighting.

"Elena…there are things that you don't need to know…just know that I'm always going to look out for your best interests…"

That just made her angrier.

"You'd better tell me the truth," she said, "I'm not that little girl anymore that you plucked out of that auction."

His eyebrows rose.

"Yes, I do know…I don't remember most of it…but I remember the lights…the stale tobacco smoke, the sweat and the way those men looked at me…the ones I could see…"

Andre sighed.

"If they gotten you…your life would be much different than it turned out," he said, "In all probability, you'd be dead by now."

And Elena did know how, she knew that even young girls had been sold into brothels as slaves, used up until they died, most often from diseases like hepatitis or AIDs. She knew because of the foundations that had received money from Andre's business. Her mind tried to place her in the body of a young girl sold from her family into being chained to a bed in some squalid brothel with men paying for her body day and night. But something stopped her before the undertow sucked her beneath it and she wrenched her way…no her life hadn't been like that at all. But for the man standing in front of her placing the final bid in an illegal auction that very people even knew about…she would have been that little girl.

The man in blue looked at her in a way she didn't like…like a predator…too much like the eyes of the men that still haunted her even in this life.

"My boss wanted you…rather than her," the man said, "He likes to find young girls like you, unspoiled and untouched because they fetch a lot more money on a more exclusive market of some of the most powerful and wealthiest men in this world."

Elena felt nausea rise into her throat so she had to put a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened and she looked from him to Andre and back again.

"It was supposed to be me that went with him," she said, "Not her?"

Andre looked at her a long moment and she didn't know if he'd answer but he did finally with a nod. Her eyes sharpened into him.

"Why…"

The man she thought she had known so well looked at her…now C.J. knew sadness rested in his eyes.

"Because you're my family…."

* * *

Matt faded in and out of consciousness, feeling as if the tide had strengthened to pull him along its current only to ebb again leaving him to feel its rocky bottom with his feet if only he tried. He no longer felt his fingers or his toes, the tingling had started moving up from the farthest points of his extremities up to his core, bit by bit and he felt the coldness of the shadows taking possession of him. But still he fought to remain grounded before the tides swept him up again.

He saw the two of them after they had returned from Bannon County, when they had dropped everything and had flown to his cabin on the helicopter. She had long shed the skimpy outfit that the sheriff had forced her to wear at the party at the ranch house and the sweats she had been handed to wear at the state police quarters in Phoenix while being interviewed about the prostitution ring that had been broken wide open thanks in large part to Matt who remained with her the entire time. When they had gotten into the cabin, he had watched as she just sat on the sofa, in his living room uncertain of what to do next. What to say, or who to be. She had regained her memory in a silent rush of memories that had nearly overwhelmed her like a tidal wave but she still remained uncomfortable in her own skin. The body of a Texas born and raised, Harvard trained lawyer and woman had nearly been used for something else. If Matt hadn't shown up on his own dressed up like a deputy to crash the party and rescue her before the Calvary arrived, she didn't know what she would have done to stop what happened.

The power that some men could hold over a woman like her intimidated her in a fresh way that she reminded her of what she had escaped in Boston years earlier. She didn't know how to fight against it and the feeling of helplessness that had surrounded her in the detention center had felt so familiar even if she didn't have her memories of the last time she had felt that way. At the hands of another man who sought to control and dominate women, the feelings that it had created in her transcended her amnesia. It wasn't until her memory swept back that she understood why. And in the tranquility of the mountains that she loved so much, she had faced that. He had watched her sitting on the sofa, her voice gone silent but her eyes still communicating so much that he had broken that wall between them and had gone to her, sitting beside her and wrapping his arms around her drawing her close.

Bringing her all the way home.

Even as the world had receded around him, he didn't know why that memory had dominated even so briefly. Maybe it's because he knew that she had gotten lost again and had to work as hard as she had already to find her way back. And he had decided that in no way would she be facing that journey on her own, so dying as close as it might seem wasn't going to be an option.

And so he continued to swim against the current that worked against him fighting his way back to her.

Elena had withdrawn inside herself as C.J. watched, knowing that the young woman was processing all that happened, the words that the man she had considered her family most of her life had said. Nothing appeared to make any sense. And when she glanced over at C.J., she could see the guilt etched on the younger woman's face. That angered her only because she knew that it hadn't been Elena's fault at all the choice that Andre had made to sell her to his partner. C.J. despised the man that had haunted her most of her life without her seeing his form, her kidnapper and her rapist. But that moment, she knew that he had made the choice that had condemned her to further slavery to save probably the only person he did love.

A woman who had been more than a child he had seen for sale at a clandestine auction that he had pitied and impulsively purchased in a rare moment of conscience. No, she had been much more to him than a stranger. She had been family, his own flesh and blood.

His sister.

Elena had figured this out too, even before C.J. had, the secret that had been withheld her but only C.J. knew that Fernando the guard that Andre had killed had taken it to his grave.

Elena's mouth just hung open, her eyes in shock.

"I only have one…brother…"

Andre looked at her and C.J. wondered if he had ever intended her on knowing that the two came from some warped branch of the same family tree. Because if Elena were his sister, clearly that meant they had shared the same father.

Marquis Duval.

But even if they shared some of the same dreams, they were opposites in most of the ways that defined people that really mattered. And so C.J. sat with Matt watching the brother and the sister look at each other's eyes in a brand new way, each uncertain what to do next.

During a time when every second counted.

* * *

Jonathan got off the phone, and Sally rushed up to him.

"Are you ready to go?"

He looked at his watch.

"I don't think it's the right time…we've got to time this perfectly…"

She sighed.

"There's already infrared picking up traffic leaving the back of the compound," she said, "They're probably on their way to the harbor or some airstrip to get on out of here."

"We've got reinforcements to do surveillance on the harbor…but where the airstrip is, we don't know."

She shrugged.

"We don't know yet…the infrared might tell us if they throw us a trail when they leave."

He looked at the compound, which still had some lights glowing from inside.

"We have no idea what's going on inside of there," he said, "Or who's inside…"

"Does it matter," Sally said, "These are bad guys Jonathan, the worst of the worst filth in this world…all human traffickers in one place at one time…I say we go smoke their asses…but then we'd face an inquisition."

Jonathan scratched the back of his head. Thinking about how much he wanted to take that resignation letter that he had written some time ago and examined and reexamined so many times, it had worn lines etched in it where it had been folded and unfolded each time and turn it into whatever boss he had that hadn't been on Andre's payroll. But as far as inquisitions went, well he already faced one for shooting his own partner when he turned.

No even if he did resign, he could easily spend six months to a year buried in investigations of everything that had gone down since Andre's men had found C.J.

Another commando came up to them.

"We've got some detail going after the group that just left the compound," he said, "but we lost them…there must be a secret passage somewhere on the grounds."

Sally looked at Jonathon reproachfully.

"We're going to lose them all if we don't move," she said, "You know this is what we signed up for and what we took an oath to do."

Oh he did, but that oath didn't ring as true anymore. Not after his supervisor had blown himself up in a train terminal after betraying everything he had stood for, not to mention the trained agents who had turned out to be assassins for hire.

But he pushed all that away and looked at the commando and Sally and then nodded.

"We'd better get ourselves into better strategic positions then…"

And with that, they went to undergo final preparations to carry out their mission. Jonathan thought about C.J. and Matt and their friends still inside there and said a silent prayer that when the commandos came charging in, they would have enough sense and enough time to duck and cover before the shockwaves hit.

He hoped that his agency would finally do something right.


	115. Chapter 115

Matt looked out into the depths of the ocean, which became a darker hue of blue beneath its waves. The sun shone brightly over the beach that appeared empty except for the two of them. He had lain down on his back propping himself on his elbows while she had sat cross legged flipping through a magazine.

They had just arrived at Martha's Vineyard on his motorcycle the way they usually had when their busy lives crossed allowing them to spend time together. After several hours on the road, they would arrive at the cottage that a friend had provided them and after dropping their packs there, they would jump over the sea wall and head out to the beach. The area where they stayed this time had been rather secluded with only a couple other cottages within several hundred feet. Plenty of space for them to sit usually with an ice cold drink and just spend hours talking about everything and nothing until the sun sunk low enough in the horizon for them to start thinking about dinner plans.

His friendship with the woman sitting next to him meant everything to him. She just sat there with her dark hair blew freely in the ocean breeze and wearing her favorite pair of cutoff shorts and a white tee-shirt with its sleeves resting off her tanned shoulders, exposing her bikini straps. So beautiful, and for too long he had never realized how much, but he felt chagrined from the last time they had vacationed when she had been fighting with Jonathan and what had started with a kiss…had almost ended somewhere else.

Until she had called it to a halt, while lying in his arms on the beach under a full moon, with the gentle lapping of the ocean's waves not too far away. He looked at her now remembering that moment when she had almost let him in, but now she looked even further away. He frowned as she turned to look at him and he saw some faint silvery lines intertwined with her eyebrows almost like wisps of thread.

"What…"

She looked at him, and he read her eyes. Stark cold fear, mixed with a forlornness he could feel more than see and he wondered who put that there.

"C.J…"

He touched her shoulder and she flinched beneath his touch. And suddenly, the beach which surrounded them in its embrace didn't seem so idyllic anymore. The waves became speckled with white and the wind picked up blowing sand on the beach. He looked at where she sat beside him.

"I think there's a storm coming…we better go back to the cottage."

But she didn't move she seemed frozen there and so did he.

"You can't leave me….I need you so much…I can't do this without you…"

He gazed at her puzzled at the sadness which marked her face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I'm right here…I'm not going anywhere…"

But his heart felt heavy, each beat slow and laboring like it were muffled and he almost felt as it were fighting a wall of resistance pressing against it. The time between heartbeats…silence fell over them both and he thought it had stopped.

Then suddenly he was running down the hallway of a burning building, balls of burning embers raining down on top of him and that's when he looked through the tunnel of smoke and saw the little girl.

If he could reach her, he knew he'd find his way out into the darkness of night, and the cool damp grass that would soothe his skin, where it burned. But where was C.J., where had she gone? He turned around frantically looking for her.

"_I'm right here," he heard her whisper from somewhere; "I'm not going to let you die."_

C.J. looked down at Matt who stirred and mumbled something incoherently. She had thought he had gone still and had fervently felt for his pulse which still beat albeit weakly. Frustration permeated every cell in her body at the thought of him lying there on the floor slowly bleeding to death from a wound that probably could be tended to quite easily at a hospital.

Not that there was one for miles and they were trapped inside this fortress with Andre and his security inside and an army of commandos outside. She had heard the man who came rushing into the room where they all remained captive in some kind of standoff. She knew that no one would be able to take her away until Matt had breathed his last, figuring that would be the last link of the chain that would bind her permanently to being a slave for her new master. But Matt held onto stubbornly, which shouldn't have surprised her because the man was amazedly stubborn. She watched him get back on the same horse that had thrown him off on the paddock of his ranch a dozen times, after brushing the dirt off his clothes and getting back on his feet just a little more gingerly each time.

And on the 13th or even the 20th time he would finally break the stubbornness of the bronco with his own brand of kindness and patience. He broke his greenling horses with love not fear and with a gentle hand not a whip or through any type of force.

Afterward he would soak in his outside spa, the warm water working its magic on his aching muscles and sometimes she would join him. Her body feeling just fine except for some sympathetic soreness she got just from watching him.

She stroked his hand and willed him to hold onto that same brand of stubbornness that filled her heart with admiration eve as she rolled her eyes in exasperation at him sometimes.

She looked around but Andre had gone out to confer with some of the guards, leaving plenty to watch them on the final escape plan. The window of time…well it was clearly running out and the man who had come to Sapphire Island for her had joined them as well, saying that his boss had just called him most unhappy with the process. She had heard bits and pieces of that conversation despite her attempts to push her future away. Any type of life that didn't involve getting them all out of her and Matt to a hospital so the doctors would save his life that was the only reality that mattered.

"I need her to leave with me now," the man with the blue eyes said, "The forces out there will find the airport soon enough and we'll be stuck here."

Andre sighed.

"We've still got time," he said, "If she leaves not watching him die in front of her, you'll never be able to control her…"

"Just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean my boss can't," the man said, "He's handled more difficult merchandise than her before and she won't be able to put up much of a resistance against him. You saw what happened when he was there in Washington."

"So he's going to keep her drugged up all the time….his customers are going to love that…"

"That's not your concern," the man said, "you should be more worried about holding onto what you've got because my boss is most displeased with all the transgressions that have happened on your end of the operation."

Andre grunted.

"Is that a threat?"

The man chuckled.

"My boss doesn't need to make any threats," he said, "But he's keeping his eye on you very closely now so if I were you, I'd clean up your mess before he has to come and do it for you because I promise you, you won't like his methods."

C.J. turned away from that conversation between the two power players who destroyed the women that they owned. She looked over at Elena who sat in the corner, quietly and knew the younger woman was in a state of shock. Learning that Andre had been her half brother had put her there, along with all the other harsh truths she had learned about her guardian.

"Elena…."

The girl looked up at her and smiled softly but her eyes…well they said something else. C.J. wondered what her struggle must be, learning that the man who had saved her once had saved her again sending C.J. in her place to a trafficker around the world. Because in his own very limited way, he loved his sister.

"I need you to come and help me with him."

Elena got up and walked on over to where C.J. sat with Matt. She knelt beside him and placed two fingers on his throat.

"He's very weak now," she said, "all that blood…he needs what do you call it a transfusion?"

They were miles away from any possibility of getting him that and his face had begun to turn ashen. She looked around, still hearing the conversation out in the hallway.

"Can we get out of here," Elena asked.

Maybe, C.J. thought but she wasn't going to leave Matt here to die, just to escape. Even though she knew if he hadn't been robbed of his speech, he would have used his last seconds on earth urging her to do just that. But looking at him lying there, his eyes closed and lines of concentration etched in his brow, she felt so helpless just sitting there watching him die while men outside the hallway discussed their fates.

Matt woke up and the fire had disappeared. He had his arms wrapped around the most beautiful woman he had ever known and she turned around in his embrace to look at him. Her soft hazel eyes and relaxed smile gazed at him as he stroked her creamy skin. They were inside some house with the rain beating staccato like on the roof above them, creating a rhythm that was soothing.

"I don't think either of us are going to get to work today Houston," she said, "The roads must be a mess…the traffic…"

He silenced her with another one of his soulful kisses, the kind that sent shivers throughout her. Then he pulled the blankets over them more closely, creating a warm cocoon.

"I'm not going anywhere," he told her, "I've got everything I need right here."

She smiled back at him and then her brows furrowed and her mouth curved into a sense of wonder. He looked at her curiously.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, chuckling softly.

"Nothing…here give me your hand."

He looked at her warily but she knew he was playing.

"No really…I think you're going to like this, come on…"

So he did just that and she maneuvered it over the small swell in her abdomen where their child grew. He concentrated and the expression on her face drew another smile from her and then his eyes widened and he broke out in a big grin.

"I'll be damned…is that him?"

"Or her…yup quite active the past few days…I think we've got an athlete in there."

He rubbed her abdomen eliciting different sensations from her.

"A future football player…We'll send him to Rice and he'll be a star quarterback…"

She sighed happily.

"Houston, I don't think they'll let her play if she's a girl….how about soccer?"

He lay there with the woman he loved sharing this special moment here thinking life didn't get any better than this, the two of them together looking towards the future with a family of their own beginning with this little one.

But darkness followed him and he felt himself being tugged away from that vision, back into a lightning storm that raged around him, pelting him with hailstones that should have hurt him but strangely bounced off in ways that he sensed more than felt.

"Get over here… they're waiting for you."

He listened to a man's harsh voice and looked up and saw a young woman, rail thin wearing a black silken robe being dragged by a man in front of a group of others like him, dressed up in Armani suits and smelling of expensive cologne and even more expensive bank accounts.

"C.J…"

When she turned to look at him, she seemed devoid of spirit, with all that lived inside of her gone, leaving her eyes empty. Bruising beneath her eyes and on her pale arms where he saw traces of a more odd type of bruising.

Needle marks.

He withdrew from what he saw; feeling violently ill with nausea that nearly sent him reeling.

"I'll give you $30,000 for her but you'll need to fix her up," one man said, "She looks like the walking dead."

Another man stubbed out his cigarette in a dish.

"$35,000…but only if that includes my business associates…."

The woman who had once been his best friend bowed her head but not before looking at him again as if sensing his nearness.

And Matt reached out for her, with all his strength but he felt weakness overwhelm him, heard his heart pounding in his ear.

But she didn't reach back and a moment later, the current pulled him away again.

"No…."

C.J. frowned and looked down at Matt whose lips had pursed as if he had been forming words. The sound that had been released had been a ragged whisper. She felt the coolness of his skin beneath her fingers and she wondered if he would open his eyes but they remained closed.

"I'm afraid I'm losing him…he's just slipping away…"

Elena just looked at her.

"The bullet must be slowing the bleeding down but not stopping it…even if we had doctors they would have to be careful with him…one jostle the wrong way and it could be seconds…"

C.J. didn't question the girl on how she knew this; the confidence in her words belied some background in medical matters. She just sensed the truth in what she had said.

"I need him so much…I don't know what to do…how to get out of here," she said, "If he dies…then I'll…"

Elena's mouth looked grim. She had her own pain to deal with but she seemed intent to focus on the man lying before her.

"Maybe if I apply direct pressure to the artery, I can slow it down even more…"

C.J. looked up at her and nodded quickly.

"Do it…We need to buy some time…the others are looking for a way out of here," she said, "We've got to find a way to disable Andre when he returns."

"Where's Antonio?"

C.J. honestly didn't know or even if he shifted alliances again as he appeared to do so easily. Still she knew his underlying love for his sister would shift him towards the person who could do her the most good.

She stroked Matt's forehead not knowing what to do, his hair felt slick from perspiration but the lines had disappeared from his face. So wherever he had gone now, he had found some peace, away from the violence that had defined his face only moments before.

The door opened and Andre once again came in the room this time and he looked at them with a smile.

"Elena, we're getting ready to get going…"

Her eyes looked worried.

"What about him?"

Andre turned to another man who now stood in the doorway and both women's eyes widened.

Antonio had returned.

The man with the blue eyes stood in the hallway with his cell phone. The expression on his face looked most unhappy.

"Andre has screwed up our operation for the last time," he said, "You must really do something about him."

"We need to focus on getting the woman out of there and on a plane to me," the Jaguar said, "This has taken far too long…when that's done, I'll send in reinforcements to deal with him."

"You need to take a harsh stance…if you don't I will…"

Silence met the man and he wondered if he had overstepped his bounds with his boss.

"I'll keep that in mind, but you work for me, your loyalty is to me and you've got my merchandise and you're to get to that airstrip and get on that plane back to the compound…"

"But…"

"Is that understood?"

The man sighed.

"We're surrounded on almost every side by commandos from the U.S. who are casting a net for your partner and they'll catch the rest of us in it if we're not out of here."

The Jaguar didn't seem all that concerned, as he chuckled mirthlessly.

"You don't need to worry about them," he said, "Not all of them are working for the federal agencies that employ them…some have…other alliances."

The man with the blue eyes shouldn't have been surprised. He knew his boss had far reach all over the planet; his tentacles had stretched out everywhere, along with his operation. But he sighed anyway.

"That's really good boss because you're going to need every single one…"

But on the other end of the phone his boss just kept laughing.


	116. Chapter 116

Another installment is up, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

The river that carried him turned rough as he reached a patch where the rocks buried within it had created eddies, and whirlpools and he eyed them warily because if he became trapped in one, he would never see daylight again.

Nor the woman who haunted his dreams, the one who he had been searching for in the darkness.

She had been calling his name, saying it over and over but she sounded so far away, her voice muffled. Yet he heard her not above the roar of the river but inside his own head. For she had traveled just like he had now and she had survived.

Once she decided not to fight it until she found herself near the frozen shore. She had crawled out of the water, battered and freezing, and for a long moment that tore at him painfully, she had lain still there unable to move. Then something had flickered inside of her, warmth that he felt inside him now that drove her to crawl at first until she regained enough strength to stand on a pair of shaky legs. But then ahead of her had been a steep bluff and she had gazed at it again, and then with her hands reached to grab hold of the packed earth where rock had embedded and began climbing the long distance to its top.

He had felt the fire that had driven her to make that climb along with that of the fever that had her in its grip, like slowly burning embers that would soon burst into flame but for now she had pushed back all the pain, the weakness, the numbness that penetrated deeply inside of her that hadn't been just from the cold mountain air and hours spent in the freezing river. Warmth must have embraced her at some point, the last stage of hypothermia which seduced its victims slowly into eagerly awaiting its final breath.

But C.J. had been too much of a fighter, even though she had been robbed of so much; she still so badly wanted to live. Her survival instinct which he felt keenly had carried her as far as it could and soon enough, the numbness would wear off and she would feel the pain it shielded her from as needed for her escape.

She had inched up the bluff in painstaking fashion, her hands already bloodied before she had even started, and she had been dressed in what looked like silk pajamas, hardly appropriate attire for such frigid conditions.

"_C.J…."_

He didn't think that she could hear him but she halted suddenly, and moved her head around as if searching for something carried perhaps by the wind that chilled the forest.

And then she kept climbing.

Matt felt wrenched away once again, violently though he felt no pain. The searing ache near his heart had lessened but a chill had threatened to overtake him, one he fought back as if it were an ominous fog that cloaked everything it touched….when it cleared and he discovered himself inside a sweat lodge, stripped down to just a wrap around his body and sitting with other men…he had been taken in by a native tribe somewhere after he had bid farewell to his mercenary friends.

"Just close your eyes and let the spirit be your guide…and you will have your questions answered…"

So he had done that and it hadn't taken long before he had seen the woman with the flowing mahogany hair and the sparkling hazel eyes standing in front of him, in a halo of bright light. She had been wearing white, an elegant dress and wearing a shimmering veil accentuated by fine lace, and even smaller seed pearls. She had been looking at him with a smile that warmed him up and her hand had been resting on her abdomen, her pregnancy not quite hidden by her dress. And when she had walked down the aisle strewn with white rose petals, his heart had burst and it had been all he could do to remain nailed to the floor next to his uncle and not rush down and meet her halfway. Instead, he kept watch on the woman approaching him, hearing every time his heart beat and feeling something awaken inside of him…something so powerful and wondrous he almost fainted at his own wedding.

Tears came to his eyes as he watched that vision, separated from what he wanted to reach out and touch by a powerful force that remained owned by the darkness that he barely kept at bay, with each breath that he struggled to take which rushed through his ears like the river that now carried him. But the presence of the woman remained with him, her arms embracing him, her breath against his neck, her whispering words that soothed him in his ear.

He lay on a rug with her next to the fire, skin against skin and as he brushed the hair out of her face, she looked at him and nodded, allowing him inside the fortress she had erected around that piece of herself that she held for him only. The one that couldn't be taken by force or other means, the one that she had fought so hard to protect even as he had tried to protect her.

And then the darkness came for him again.

* * *

C.J. looked up at Antonio and Andre, wondering what would happen next and then she looked over at Elena who had glanced up at both of her brothers before returning her attention to applying direct pressure to the artery inside Matt that had drained the life out of him, because of the bullet lodged there.

"His bleeding's slowing down but not enough," Elena said quickly.

C.J. stroked his forehead not knowing if he felt it as she stared up at the two men.

"If you're going to do anything, you might as well do it," she said, "but you'll never get me alive…the first chance I get…"

Andre shook his head.

"Now you know better than that," he said, "The Jaguar's man will keep you from doing anything permanent to yourself."

"He won't be able to stop me…"

"Oh yes he will," Andre said, "Like I told you, my partner doesn't have the same…attachment to you that I have shown. It's all business to him and once he's got you properly trained and oriented to your new life, he'll put you to work…"

C.J. didn't even allow her mind to think that far, nothing past the moment, which was to keep Matt alive and try to figure out a way…any way…to get them out of here. If she had to force the life out of the man standing in front of her, she would do it if the opportunity arose and she had found from her experience as both a lawyer and an investigative partner to Matt that it always did…you just had to be patient and bide your time…and always keep your adversary off guard until that pivotal moment that changed everything.

She wanted so badly to get out of this place and to put this nightmare behind her, to embrace a future that had to be out there for her and for the man lying next to her fighting for his life.

"Please fight…"

She found her whispering that even as she kept her eyes on the two men, the one that had broken her and the one who had betrayed her.

"You can't save him with mere words," Andre said, "any more than you can save yourself."

He looked over at Antonio.

"You have betrayed me as you've betrayed her," Andre said, "but I know the source of your motivation for your disloyalty and I know what drives your every action since even before you came here."

Antonio looked at him dubiously. C.J. knew that he didn't trust his boss. But Andre had been right that only one factor would turn the security leader any which way and that had been…

"Elena is what drives you to act as you do," Andre said, "You'd do anything to protect her and keep her safe."

Antonio blinked once determined not to betray his thoughts even as he so easily betrayed people.

"I don't know…"

Andre smiled wider.

"Oh you do, you see I have done the same thing that you have," he said, "I saved her life and brought her here to raise her and ensure that she have the best of everything."

Antonio's eyes flashed doubt.

"You hardly…you've kept her inside your gilded cage like a bird…a pet that you pay attention to once in a while to assuage any guilt you might have about abusing and raping women like the one you sold."

"I could have killed you for betraying me Antonio," Andre said, "but I'm going to give you another chance."

Both Antonio and C.J. reacted to those words, knowing it wasn't like him to do so.

"Why should I believe you," Antonio said.

Andre paused and looked at him, his eyes not blinking even once.

"Because I need you to take your sister…our sister to some place safe…"

C.J. looked at Antonio to see his reaction but noticed he didn't appear too surprised. Andre had watched for a reaction as well but Antonio just stood there, his face expressionless like he had been trained to do for so long.

"I should just take her and leave this place…so you'll never see her again…before the feds outside come in and round you all up."

Andre nodded but his eyes remained steely.

"You wouldn't get very far if you did that because they're looking for you too."

Antonio appeared to digest that news.

"So you want me to take her through the passageway to the air strip and get her on a plane…"

Andre looked at him a long moment and then nodded.

"There will be instructions on which plane to put her on and that pilot's received his flight plan already."

Antonio didn't react but C.J. knew he was thinking quickly, around the offer which had just been give to him by a man he despised…but who he shared a familial link with through Elena.

The younger girl just let them discuss her fate, her mind still steely focused on her patient. She had counted to herself while applying pressure having gotten the bleeding to slow but not to stop. No, he needed a surgeon desperately; someone trained in removing bullets including those close to vital blood vessels. And although she had thought about becoming a doctor herself, that dream of hers remained much too far away to help her now.

Too far away to save the life of the man in her care but still she tried hard to keep him from succumbing to the permanent sleep that must be waiting for him, unseen.

* * *

Matt opened his eyes and instead of the water swirling around him, he saw the room where his body lay on the floor, blood drying next to it where it had pooled. After coming from him, he noted, but from where he didn't know. He had a vague memory of being slammed to the ground by a powerful force and not knowing that he had been hit until…

He looked at C.J. holding his hand so tightly and stroking his forehead though he couldn't feel it now, at least not on his skin but this sensation stirred up deeply inside him where his heart must be must be her. He tried to say something, to get her attention but no words left his mouth even as they filled his head.

"_She can't hear you…she's in a different place than you…"_

A young woman's voice filled his head then, her voice like a soft melody, somehow achingly familiar.

"I've got to keep trying…"

He heard his voice and maybe his lips moved but the conversation he was having didn't attract the attention of anyone in the room. He saw Andre and Antonio standing together clearly having a discussion and at this point, he didn't know which one to go after first. He longed for the physical strength he now lacked for just long enough, a few seconds perhaps to choke the life out of Andre Dubal the man who had damaged his best friend so badly, beginning even before the first rape.

"_She can't hear you…but she can feel you…"_

That filled Matt with some hope but how could that matter when he felt his own life ebb away. His vision had begun to blur again and the sounds became muffled, lost in the roar of the river that must still have him in its grip despite this hallucination.

"_You're not dreaming this…this simply is…"_

So this mystery woman could read his mind and know what he was thinking almost before he did.

"Then I can change it…how can I do that…I'm not ready to die…"

The woman he couldn't see sighed deeply.

"_No one is Matlock…but it comes for us all whether we like it or not…but this is not your time to die…"_

Hope filled him again when he heard that that his life would be saved, and the future he desperately wanted, the one he knew instinctively would be waiting to be written. He fought death which didn't seem to care whether or not it was his time, he could feel its chill permeate him as he struggled in its current. It waited patiently for him to weaken before it would take his last breath and still his heart before taking him away.

No, there was no way he would ever allow that to happen, not as long as the woman he loved sat with him willing her own strength into him, if she could have surrendered her blood to replace his own that had been lost, she would have done it.

"C.J…"

_"Her future lies in the balance…evil men want to take her and her soul will die before her body will…you can't save her…"_

But, but, but…that word filled him over and over again because he had always believed that he had the ability to save lives, to save people's futures and he had done so in his line of work more than once, just like he had done when serving in the army in combat zones. Now an unknown woman had just told him he couldn't save the one person who meant more to him than anyone.

To hell with that, because losing her to the men who had brutalized her just wasn't an option.

He sensed the woman's approval at his thoughts.

"_You can't save her Matlock…only she can do that and first she has to want to badly enough…"_

Her matter of fact words shook him, why wouldn't the woman trying so hard to save him want to live to save her own life?

"_When you're broken like she has been, death already has its hold on you and its possessiveness is hard to shake, the bonds to break…only love can do that."_

He nodded as he thought back to the moments in his life when he had felt overwhelmed with loss and all those times, she had been there beside him, holding him tightly in her loving embrace, soothing him with words. The kind that only she knew he needed to help strengthen his resolve to not surrender to despair and hopelessness.

A vision filled him then of when she had held him so tightly in her arms as he cried soundlessly for what felt like forever not long after they had returned from ending his nightmare of living on the run. They had apprehended the bad guys, found evidence leading away from Matt to the real killer and he had held himself together amazingly well until…until the two of them had been alone. He had wanted to be alone, to drink a barrel of whisky and just forget for a while that he had spent weeks wondering if he had a cold blooded killer living inside him.

But she kept him away from the liquor cabinet at his beach house and told him what he really needed was a lot of sleep and the only way that he would agree to it, was if she stayed with him and so she did, after pulling the covers off of his bed and wrapping her body against his when they both slipped beneath them. Matt hadn't been accustomed to sleeping with a woman that shared his bed until then, but his breathing became more relaxed and his eyes closed, the tide of sleep pulling him in pushing everything else aside.

The most peaceful and restful night of his life and in its own way, one of the most beautiful ever spent in the arms of a woman.

"_You're dying on the outside; she on the inside and you have to both have to find your own paths towards life…"_

That statement that came from the woman had shaken him, almost wrenching him loose again but if that happened, he might be caught up in the current that had seized him forever.

Away from her, no he couldn't ever allow that to happen.

"I'll take her," Antonio finally agreed, "On your terms."

Andre nodded, but C.J. knew he bore little trust for his own employee. And for good reason, C.J. thought, considering Antonio's track record.

Elena had other plans even when Antonio looked down at her kindly.

"Come on Elena…we must go."

She just looked at him, quietly defiant.

"No…I'm not going anywhere with you until they're safe…"

Antonio sighed.

"Elena…we both know that's not going to happen," he said, "He'll die here. She'll die someplace else…the important thing is that you're safe."

She shook her head at the notion.

"No Antonio…I can't place my life above theirs," she said, "and he's my patient."

Antonio looked at her incredulously.

"What are you talking about Elena," he said, "You're no doctor…"

She conceded that but the determination remained on her face.

"Maybe…but I'm taking care of him and I'm not leaving him here to die alone," she said, "You can't force me to go with you."

Antonio sighed.

"I know…but he can…and he will…just like he'll force that woman to watch your patient die before condemning her to life as some else's whore."

The words bit into her more than he had intended them to but really she had to stand up and follow him to safety. And while they did that he would figure out some way to save her.

But she remained firm.

"No…I won't go with you…"

And Matt stood quietly, unseen by the living watching another standoff begin.


	117. Chapter 117

Another installment of this FF is up, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

C.J. watched the young woman look at her brother in defiance, even though she loved him so much.

"Elena, there's not much time," Antonio said, "You must come with me if you're ever going to get out of here."

She refused to budge, her eyes filled with affection for him but with more than a trace of stubbornness too. Then she looked over at her other brother, Andre to see if he indeed would force her to go. He could try but she refused to be dragged away by either brother when Matt needed her. It mattered not that he weren't a blood relative or even someone she had known very well. He was injured and he needed her, and he had come here to save the woman who had become her friend.

"Elena, you need to stop this foolishness and go with him," Andre ordered, "The commandos who break through this compound won't stop to determine who their enemy is and who's not before they start shooting."

Elena looked a bit uncertain at his words but she looked back at him, her resolution still strong.

"No…maybe the one who put the bullet in him should go first."

Andre's brow lifted a bit and C.J. watched his fists clench slightly, she had seen them do that just before he had hit her that first night. The only time he had to do that.

"I had no choice Elena…I can't get into why here…there's no time and you need to go with him."

C.J. wondered idly how long Antonio would live after he delivered Elena safely to her plane to leave Sapphire Island. She guessed not very long at all, if he really believed that Andre was giving him that second chance. But she focused her attention on Matt, trying to stop him from dying if that were the plan, and with each drop of blood that spilled to merge with the pool on the floor, went another piece of his life.

Several years ago, she had been sleeping and a phone call had awakened her in the middle of the night to inform her that Matt hadn't survived attempts by doctors to save him from bullet wounds. When she first heard the words, she had rejected them as impossible, but when they truly sunk into where they could no longer be denied, she felt as if she had died too. The pain that crushed her then had been physically overpowering mostly because her emotions couldn't bear it alone, and then the news had come that he had cheated death and survived the surgery. She had sunken on the floor, her legs collapsing beneath her refusing to bear her weight as so many feelings overwhelmed her at once.

She looked at him now, his face ashen and his ragged breathing and she felt that despair once again. She tried to push the tide back before it knocked over again, during a time when she had to be strong for both of them. Elena looked at her.

"The bleeding's stopped but I don't know for how long…"

C.J. sighed, reaching for his hand, squeezing it tightly so that somehow in the darkness he could know she watched over him, as he had done for her.

* * *

The sound of the river roaring around him receded and he found he laid on dry land once again, with an endless field of what looked like wheat growing around him, a sea of gold which shimmered as the breeze blew through the valley. He walked towards it, his sounds being muffled by the wind that whipped around him.

And suddenly he was inside, looking at her lying in bed, her face restful in slumber. Her hair damp on her face from fever most likely, stitches visible near her closed eyelids. Next to her sat an older woman who he now recognized as he did the man standing further away near the doorway.

"We need to find him Jonathan…at least to say goodbye if it comes to that…"

Jonathan wearing a shorter haircut and a serious expression belied by circles beneath his eyes just shook his head.

"He's gone off somewhere…no one knows where…he didn't tell anyone where he was going…took off one day not long after his broken engagement."

The woman glanced over at C.J. lying there.

"I don't think she has it in her to die," she said, "but she needs to know that the ones who love her are pulling for her."

"For her safety, they can't know," Jonathan countered, "All it takes is one overheard conversation, one compromised computer and she's as good as dead anyway…or worse."

"Nothing's worse than death Jonathan…"

His eyes looked tired.

"After looking at her face when I found her, I have to think you're wrong about that."

Matt watched them tend to her while she slept, alone in a bed miles away from those who loved and cared about her, left in the position of fighting for her life, to live just so she could confront a nightmare. God, he should have been there when she needed him, he could have stopped this from happening if he had been strong enough to stay in L.A. If he hadn't left…would this had happened to her? But then it had taken him much too long to see through Scott's treachery.

He remembered how he had traveled the world almost aimlessly living with barely a watch and no calendar. He had left his cell phone in his beach house and didn't spend time in many places which allowed him to access computers. Hardly read newspapers since most of the time they were in languages he couldn't read and he watched no television.

When he nearly fell into his pit of despair trying to claw his way out, he had known the only way to stop it was to pretty much drop off the face of the earth, to disappear, leaving most of his identity behind. So when the people he had left behind had been looking for her, after she disappeared, they had been unable to find him to even send him a message about what had happened to her.

He had closed the door on her when she needed him most. The realization of that when it hit him had nearly knocked him flat, as he stood by her bedside his legs somehow supporting him despite their shakiness.

"Houston…."

The woman looked at C.J. whose eyes were still firmly closed but her lips had moved, and she had seemed agitated. She reached forward and stroked her brow, until the lines disappeared from her face.

"It's all right…you're going to be fine…"

Everything in Matt screamed at him to break through into the reality in front of him and to sweep the unconscious woman into his arms, holding her tightly in his warm embrace so he could transfer his energy into her body.

But he had been unable to move any closer.

He watched as her brow knit in concentration even though she didn't stir.

"Houston…"

He responded not knowing if his voice would reach her.

"I'm right here…and I'm not going anywhere."

Disbelief filled her voice.

"Is it really...you?"

Relief filled his, overwhelming him.

"Yes sweetheart, it's me...god I've looked for you..."

The woman turned towards Jonathan suddenly.

"I think her fever might be breaking," she said, "Oh God, I hope so…let her turn a corner and pull through…"

The woman sounded like she had been praying and suddenly Matt started praying too.

"I don't know if I can make it back…I don't know if I can face him."

He changed the tone of his voice, to one more urgent.

"You have to come back," he said, "I love you…I've always loved you."

Her voice sounded sad.

"I prayed so many times to die…when he…and before I jumped in the river…now my prayers are being answered but I'm afraid to die, even more so than living."

He felt the violence of his reaction within him.

"No… that's because you want to live…you got away…you made it this far…you'll make it all the way back…I'll help you…"

"I feel so alone…"

He sent as much of himself as he could without being there, to wrap around her despair, to replace it his love, if she could feel it at all.

"You're not alone…you'll never be alone…"

Suddenly, he felt as if they were together, his arms wrapped around her so tightly, their hearts beating together in one rhythm while her head rested against him. His love enveloped her like a warm, soft blanket and he felt her body relax against him as he whispered that he loved her.

The woman looked at Jonathan.

"I think her pulse is getting stronger…get the doctor…"

Matt watched as Jonathan left the bedroom in a rush and the vision faded, leaving Matt in the darkness again but he heard the soft voice of a woman singing.

* * *

C.J. looked at Matt's face, and so many emotions swam over it at once she wondered if he had left her to find someplace nice. His breathing had slowed down, his heart beat slowed and she had felt him pulled away from her. The sensation so visceral she sucked in her breath.

"He's getting weaker…"

Elena's voice sounded subdued as she felt just as helpless as C.J. in their inability to do anything but to delay his impending death.

"He's fighting his own battle," C.J. said, "like we need to fight ours."

Elena looked up at her.

"You mean he's trying not to die?"

C.J. nodded.

"He knows he has too much to live for," she said, "He's trying to find his way back."

Andre looked at Matt.

"He's dying…and you are going to walk away from him when that happens," he said, "Your owner is looking to make a lot of money off of you."

C.J. just looked at him.

"I'm not leaving him," she said, "and I already told you what will happen."

Andre laughed.

"What will happen is that they'll pack you up, fly you somewhere and get you ready for whatever he has planned…You see he prepares his women, molds them much differently than I do…it's all business with him…though he did like you."

"I'm not going…he dies, so do I and your partner will get nothing…"

Andre sighed.

"If you don't go, he'll take Elena instead."

If the younger woman heard that, she didn't respond still tending to Matt carefully and C.J. knew his words to be a bluff.

"You'll never let him do that to your sister," C.J. said, "We both know that. Even your pathetic excuse for a soul won't let you condemn your sister to your business dealings, let alone turn her over."

Andre paused, and she knew she had read him correctly. If the Jaguar tried to take Elena, he would have a fight on his hand and who's to say who would win it at this point. C.J. turned to look at Antonio who looked disturbed by the conversation even beneath his stoic demeanor.

"And what about you Antonio," she said, "You'd betray anybody on earth but not your own sister."

Andre recovered quickly.

"We'll stop you before you can do anything," he said, "Then he'll keep you drugged up for as long as he needs and soon you won't care what happens or what men will do to you, nothing will matter except getting your next fix."

C.J. shook her head.

"I'll fight it…I'll make it impossible for them to do that."

Andre laughed mirthlessly.

"It's already been done…which is why you have those memory lapses, the times that you can't quite remember between the times that you do."

C.J. felt a coldness threaten to rush through her at his words because he had been right…she had gaps in her memories of her captivity…had woken up with no memory of what happened in a strange room, wearing clothing she didn't recognize, feeling disoriented and more lost.

"If we had more time, we could screen the highlights of those missing hours…nights and you could see for yourself."

Her heart began to beat so quickly she felt it inside her head, her mind forcing up a wall against what he had just said, what it meant…no she couldn't allow herself to think about what she didn't remember…to try to fill in those holes…she forced her eyes away from him and back on the man lying next to her. The man who needed her to live.

* * *

Matt watched her from someplace else. He couldn't hear what was being said, but she had reacted to something….he wanted so much to touch her again, to feel her breath on his cheek, her arms around him. But she seemed to be moving further away from him, he was dying outside, while for her, it began inside.

When she had buried Julia not too long ago, after they had saved the future of a small town with its roots buried deep in Julia's family. Matt had stood beside her through the funeral and dealing with Julia's fragmented family…not to mention watching her struggle without understanding why…as if when Julia had been buried, some secrets had gone with her. That must have been the time that Julia had sent that final letter to C.J. warning her about Scott…who would soon be worming his way back into Houston Enterprises upon Andre's direction. In retrospect, it all seemed so clear but at the time…so much had been in his way.

Damn, he felt himself growing lighter, more transparent even; he could see the veins, the bones and sinewy tissue inside his hands and his arms, more so as time elapsed. But within him, he felt the tremendous pull towards her, the woman he had loved his entire life…if he had known the depths of that level, he would have never gone away. They would be together in some way…living the life that both had been drawn toward.

The current came up on him suddenly again, pushing and pulling against and on him and he felt swept up again in its tight and unforgiving embrace, her whispers urging him to return slipping behind him again.

* * *

Jonathan and Sally followed Simon through the densest part of the jungle on one side of the compound. He looked through his night goggles, watching the infrared light up any sources of energy in the form of the heat it released.

"I don't see any movement," he said, "There's supposed to be a secret passage or some route through here to get out of the jungle."

Sally sighed.

"They might be on the other side," she said, "We've got troops on that side, we need to cover this flank and find a way inside."

Jonathan put his hand.

"Now wait a minute…we aren't set to do that."

Sally remained firm.

"There are people inside," she said, "We need to take that risk now are you with me or not?"

Before Jonathan could answer, his eyes did see movement suddenly and they narrowed. Sally noticed and followed his gaze.

"Are those guards?"

But Jonathan's focus was on deciphering their movement, what they wore and any familiar faces.

"No…I don't think so…we'd better prepare for an aggressive response."

They drew their weapons and Jonathan clicked the safety off of his own and pointed it in the direction of the movement which approached, shrouded by darkness.

"What the…"

Then the shapes emerged out to see guns pointed at them, and stopped.

"All right if you're the Calvary, you're aiming your fire power at the wrong people pal."

Jonathan's eyes widened as he looked up and recognized Vince Novelli staring at him.


	118. Chapter 118

Chapter 118-another installment is up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

Jonathan looked up at the motley crew standing in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here," he said, "I should have known…"

Vince just looked at him, and shook his head.

"So what's going on here Jonathan," he said, "You getting ready to send an army in there?"

The fed sighed as they walked back to the cover of the brush.

"It's not my idea," he said, "They sent in commandos from the military to raid the compound and clean up the mess inside, make the world a little safer."

Vince shook his head.

"It won't work…"

Jonathan rubbed his jaw.

"My bosses believe otherwise," he said, "Besides this is the best chance to take out more than one major trafficker in a single blow…that is if they ever move in before they finish fleeing the ship like rats."

Vince nodded.

"We dodged a few of them rushing towards some secret passage through the jungle."

Sally who had been next to Jonathan perked up.

"You've seen it…where are they leaving?"

Vince looked back towards the jungle.

"It's nothing sophisticated really…mostly shrouded by the jungle coverage…must have been there for years even before Andre set up shop here."

Sally looked at Jonathan.

"It's a way for us to get inside…"

But he quickly vetoed that idea, to the quick.

"We can't do that Sally…we have to wait for our orders."

She folded her arms, her eyes moving quickly towards his face, reading the indecision there.

"We have to do something…they're going to get away while the commandos argue about whether to take the south or western perimeter first."

Vince looked from one to the other.

"What kind of operation is this anyway," he said, "Even in the LAPD, things were more organized than here."

Jonathan folded his arms.

"We're doing the best we can in difficult terrain dealing with some of the ruthless thugs on the planet."

Vince clenched his jaw.

"Houston's in there too with C.J. They were going to kill him, all of us but it didn't happen."

Jonathan sighed.

"We've got to be very careful here," he said, "They're moving a group of women out including C.J. and if we screw up here and they wind up on some plane or boat, we'll never see them again."

Vince didn't budge, staring at both Jonathan and Sally.

"Then we'd better get moving then," he said, "because I'm not about to stand here and argue semantics and let that happen to C.J. or the others."

"The decision's already been made," Jonathan said, "We're just waiting for the order to act."

"The order that's going to get them killed," Vince grumbled, as he joined Jonathan in standing watch over the compound.

Jonathan sighed, unable to argue otherwise.

* * *

Matt looked up at the older woman, her weathered face reading like a map of her life experiences each etched as a line across its surface. He had spent several hours inside the tent with the other men, as one of the younger ones had added water to pour over the heated rocks, generating more steam which hit Matt's face causing him to blink his eyes. He had eaten lightly in preparation but hadn't anticipated the sensations that his body would experience since he had entered the lodge. His rational mind had taken leave of him and his thoughts had begun to meander on some unfamiliar roads marked with landmarks that he barely made out in the dimly lit path.

"And what do you see…"

The woman had said that afterward as she ladled some stew into a bowl for him made up of some sort of meat and an assortment of vegetables. He felt the strength of his body restored, his energy flowing back through him, restoring him from weariness. She knew that the visions that were seen by those experiencing the sweat were highly personal but she had read in his eyes that he wanted to be asked so she did.

"I don't know what…myself in a different life…"

The woman who had stood with him out in the garden had been the one he had known longest but surrounding them both was what had been so unfamiliar. Children, with dark hair and energy their bodies could barely contain. The land around them appeared so open, not like the city they both now called home. Warmth filled him at what he had seen, deep inside him where he had felt coldness earlier.

"Is it the future," he asked.

The woman looked at him thoughtfully, and tilted her head.

"Maybe…life is a path with many forks in the road leading to many different possibilities," she said, "You may have seen one."

But an unsettling feeling almost as the sun had slipped inside a cloud had permeated him too since the sweat. As if something…someone had blotted out the light. The woman nodded.

"There are other possibilities too," she said, "maybe in relation to those shadows you have around you."

He looked up at her, frowning.

"What do you mean?"

She considered her words carefully.

"You've been wandering aimlessly without focus…but you've attracted some darkness with you."

Matt wondered about that, as he ate his food, thinking that sometimes he had stopped and the breeze hit him…carrying something that didn't feel right and the times he had seen those strange men at several places he had stopped at on his travels.

"You need to confront that which trails you before it swallows you up with its shadow."

* * *

Matt's eyes popped opened and he stood in front of the building which housed his penthouse suite in downtown L.A. but instead of the normally bustling scenery which surrounded him, he saw an eerie silence.

Until two men interrupted it, walking to a dark vehicle that had been parked next to it, talking amongst themselves as they passed so closely by him that one of them bumped against him.

Only Matt hadn't felt anything at all.

"How much longer do we have to wait," one asked.

The other shrugged.

"The phone call's been made and she thinks she's meeting with a source," he said, "She won't know differently until it's too late."

Matt blinked, thinking that these two men looked awfully familiar. He had surely seen them before, somewhere…before the tailspin that his life had become had lured him out of the city.

"She should be coming out here pretty soon," the first man said, "We'd better get parked closer on the top level…that's where she's parked."

She, Matt wondered who they could be talking about, until he remembered.

C.J. She had likely been keeping tight hours helping to run the investigative firm for Roy in his absence. This source must have something to do with a case she had been handling except…had there not been a case at all? Had this been all part of a ruse to do what? What were these men talking about?

"She's a nice item, do you think the boss would mind if we…"

The look flashed by the other one shut him up.

"Strict orders were given not to touch this woman," he said, "He's got his own plans for her."

Matt's blood chilled in his veins, his mind swimming, what was about to happen, and could he stop it? But then he looked at his less than solid appearance, his strength sapped out of him and felt not for the first time completely helpless watching events unfold in front of him.

"He won't know…."

"He will…she's his property until he decides what to do with her…there's some reason he's paying us extra money to do this but it's not our job to ask questions."

Matt followed the two men as they walked towards the car and got inside, to drive it inside the garage. He tried to move inside his garage too but an invisible wall slammed up just in front of him.

C.J. looked down at Matt and sighed, god he was slipping away from her and she couldn't do anything but watch it happen. And hate the man who stood in front of her more than she did already, trying to break her all over again with his words. Not that she would allow him to do that, she had to focus on trying to keep Matt from leaving her before…

Elena looked up at her.

"He's looking more peaceful," she said, "I wonder where he is now."

C.J. stroked his forehead, willing all the strength that she had into his body. Built on the memories they had shared together since they were little kids. His life had been in danger so many times when he hadn't known it and every decision she had been forced to make during her captivity had been to give him more time to live.

But now he had been torn down by a bullet that in other circumstances, he would have shrugged off and moved on. Other bullets had hit more dangerous places but one that hadn't would be the one to prevail against him.

No, she shook her head to all those kinds of thoughts that threatened to fill her and she willed herself not to reveal what she felt to anyone. Andre just watched and then the door opened and in came the man with the blue eyes.

"I'm ready for her…is he dead yet?"

Andre stared at him.

"No he's very weak…not eager to die it seems and I want her to leave her knowing that he's dead."

The man pulled a gun out of his holster and aimed it at Matt.

"Then I will just finish it now because I and the merchandise have a plan to catch."

C.J. jumped up between the man and Matt to block his aim.

"No don't…please don't…I've already said I will go with you…"

Andre looked over at the man.

"Don't believe her," he said, "She'll kill herself first before she leaves here with anyone."

The man looked disinterested.

"I'll take steps to make sure she doesn't have the chance," he said, "I'll dope her up a little here and then more on the plane…I've got stuff that will make her forget she's an unwilling prisoner."

C.J. knew that she couldn't let that happen.

"No…"

The man moved towards her and she looked down at Matt and then back at her next captor. She jumped up and pushed him away from her, but the man while surprised at her quick move proved to be agile in his reflexes and grabbed hold of her.

"Stop struggling…"

She reached up with her free hand to attack his face, his neck…anything.

"What I tell you," Andre said, "She's always been a handful…"

"Aren't you going to help me with her," the man asked, as he struggled to maintain hold over her.

But Andre just looked at him.

"She's yours to handle now," he said, "I have other issues to address like getting out of here…Antonio get Elena and take her to the plane."

Antonio looked over at him.

"She already said she's staying here with Matt," he said, "and she won't budge on that."

"The make her…"

Antonio looked steely at his boss.

"How do I do that…do I handle her just like we do all your women?"

Andre shook his head and turned towards his sister.

"Get up and go with him now," he said, "there's not much time left."

She just shook her head at him.

"You know what I told you," she said, "I'm not leaving him."

The man with the blue eyes shot them a glance once he had C.J. pinned against him where she could no longer move.

"I'm leaving with her now," he said, "I'll get her to my room and shoot her up with enough drugs to get her docile enough to follow me anywhere…even off a cliff."

Andre just looked up and nodded, this was business after all and the man struggled again to get C.J. out of the room and away from Matt. She focused her eyes on him lying there and dug her feet into the floor and made her body go rigid, knowing that if the man forced her out of the room, she would never see Matt again.

"Stop that…it's not going to help…it's not going to change things…"

She didn't listen to his cajoling but kept trying to pull herself away from him. Andre arched an eyebrow.

"You need help with your boss' latest acquisition?"

The man just shot him a look.

"No I can handle her quite well on my own…better than you did."

Andre shrugged.

"I did most of the breaking in. She was more difficult when she first arrived after my men brought her to me."

"She still feels that way…but I'm still taking her and she'll learn soon enough that fighting is useless in her new life…it might prove advantageous to him."

C.J. shut them out focusing only on Matt…don't die…I'll figure out a way to get us all out of here. But then didn't think she knew how to do that.

A guard rushed into the room.

"There are some commando teams creeping up on the perimeters on three sides," he said, "and we lost the mercenaries. "

That didn't please Andre at all.

"How could you lose them…I assigned a full detail to them."

The guard didn't answer, believing that anything he said might just upset his boss further.

"They look like they're preparing to move in," the guard said, "We can't hold them off for long…probably not even long enough to get everyone out of here in time."

Andre looked at him.

"This place is wired up enough to be a death trap to anyone who rushes in here," he said, "We're getting ready to move out of here and set the charges once I give word."

The guard nodded and departed quickly. Elena looked up at Andre.

"You're going to blow this place up and kill all those people?"

Andre looked over at Antonio who said nothing but looked back at him.

"Elena…they're coming in to kill us…all of us because they aren't going to take the time to check that whoever they shoot is friend or foe."

"But…"

"No Elena, I told you that you must leave at once," he said, "or even I won't be able to protect you from them."

She furrowed her brow.

"But Matt…"

Andre looked down at the prostrate man.

"is going to die soon enough," he said, "probably before they hit him by mistake."

Antonio nodded over Elena.

"Come we must move…quickly."

She refused clenching her fists at her side and stared up at him.

"No…I'm not leaving…if they want to kill me they'll do it but I'm not leaving," she said, "Why are they coming here anyway but because you did bad things, hurt people, killed them."

* * *

The man with the blue eyes had dragged C.J. out towards the hallway towards his room so she didn't hear the interplay between Elena and the men. She closed her eyes for a moment steeling her strength.

"Come on…I'll give you something that will make all this go away…you won't have a care in the world," he said, "You'll forget about these characters for a while and we'll be gone."

She listened to him, already formulating a plan, to launch before too many footsteps lapsed between her and Matt. She cast one more look towards the room she left before she mentally counted down the seconds…

"C.J…"

She looked up suddenly, wondering where that voice came from, the man it belonged to lay unconscious on the floor back in the room. But then she looked around her and saw the garden where she knew he had gone what else to bring that peaceful look that had passed over him?

"Where are we?"

He looked much healthier, much more vibrant in her vision.

"In that garden we spent so much time on growing up," he said, "it's so peaceful here."

She couldn't argue that, surrounded as they were by fields of flowers in every shade of the rainbow, all reflecting some light from above, the only sounds the noises made by crickets chirping and the occasional coo of doves.

"It is…I just wish I could stay here…do nothing but look at what's around us…it's so lovely…the world is such an ugly place sometimes."

"C.J. you can't go with him," Matt urged suddenly, "You must fight with everything that's inside of you just like I must in this place to get back to you."

She looked down at her hands.

"I don't know if I can…they're so strong…Houston you don't know what it's like to fight so hard and lose…lose in ways that can't be found again."

She felt his caress on his cheek like a breeze.

"You're strong…and you have always had vision, the ability to see through the bad times to what exists beyond them. Use that here, use it to get away."

She pondered that and then looking into his handsome face, she nodded.

"Do it for her…"

The last thing she heard before his voice faded away again, lost in the cacophony of the crickets.

She opened her eyes again and felt the grip of the man's hands on her, the staleness of his breath on her cheek and she did what she promised she would do in the garden, she decided to fight back.


	119. Chapter 119

The latest update is up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

C.J. planted her feet in the floor and refused to go any further with him. Every step took her further away from everything she knew and loved and closer to what would be truly evil.

The man grew impatient with her, using his greater strength and body weight to render her struggling useless. Andre had used the same strategy to turn her own strength against her, wearing her out to where she couldn't fight anymore before…she shook her head and focused on the current threat, the man who would be taking her to his room to inject her with drugs so she no longer would want to fight him.

"Easy now, what did I tell you," he said, "Struggling is useless…your time with Andre should have taught you that at least."

Oh but it had until the day she had decided to break free of him and had escaped, swallowing all the fears that he had given her during the brief time they had spent together. She would find a way to escape from this man too even if it meant choosing between the two of them who would live.

"It's not so bad really," he said, "You'll have food, shelter, clothes to wear and all you have to do is spend most of your time on your back...life could be a lot tougher than that."

She knew about the ploys that traffickers like he and Andre had used on young women even girls before, promising them better jobs, better lives in other countries even fresh starts. Some had been conned by men who tricked them into believing they were in love with them, they would send them mail and money for passage to another country to join their new boyfriends or fiancés who would then sell them to traffickers. But then the women would be enslaved, many would get sick from the conditions or injured from the beatings and the rapes and when they tried to escape, their families would be threatened by retaliation. C.J. imagined that they would guilt more than a few women who complained about being sex slaves into telling them how good they had it compared with many of the world's women and girls especially in impoverished countries.

But why bother to use that con on her when she had been kidnapped out of a parking lot in L.A. by a trafficker who had made his interest in her personal before he had made it business? To make himself feel better perhaps, but that would mean he carried guilt and she looked into his rigid face right now not seeing it.

She pulled away from him again, in between moments where she collected her strength and stilled her breathing so as to reserve her strength and hopefully sap a little bit of his own. Matt had taught her how to do that long ago as part of her defensive tactics training that he had offered to her so she could protect herself and more importantly feel confident in her ability to do so.

At least until that night in the parking lot, no time even to strike back before she had been knocked unconscious.

He had maneuvered her down a hallway towards a row of rooms that seemed mostly empty now meaning that many of the enslaved women had been moved out of the living area of the compound and perhaps had headed towards the passage out through the jungle or had finished that leg of the trip. Most of them probably had been too dazed to struggle, perhaps drugged like the man planned to do with her when they reached his room. And the time she had to stop it, slipped away with every step he forced her to take.

C.J. hadn't been drugged yet but the man who held onto her tightly had a solid built, all muscle and stood quite tall. She looked at him and knew that he had killed before probably with his own physical strength rather than relying on weapons, though she had no doubt he had been just as proficient with a gun.

He had a scar on his neck, that might have been from a sharp blade that ran smooth down its length to its handle and his nose had been broken at least once. His eyes were cobalt blue, and just as cold, his mouth a grim line on a face that appeared to have been sculpted from marble. He appeared Eastern European, possibly from Albania or the Ukraine, probably with roots to the formerly known Soviet Union a global power before it became splintered off into pieces, more effectively than through war.

She looked at him, thinking that she had seen him before now, some faint memory real or imagined would try to slip into her consciousness but somehow…she couldn't quite reach it, as something stood between it and her.

"We're almost there…"

He sounded almost relieved and she realized that he had been in a hurry to leave this place…before it was invaded by whoever waited outside and he was swept up by that current along with the others of his ilk. Not to mention the immense pressure he no doubt felt from his boss to deliver his latest acquisition to him in due order. She knew inside his room, the means awaited to render her helpless to escape before the window on that opportunity closed possibly forever and when he got her inside…she would have to act quickly to stop him from taking away her awareness of what was and her ability to stop him from changing it.

An inventory through her mind of potential ways to do just that didn't yield much that would help her. She had no guns, nothing sharp enough to slice into his body and bleed him out, nothing to wrap around his neck if she could except her hands to strangle him into dropping on the floor. Nothing to strike him with, unless she got lucky inside his room during the split second she would have to act. Helplessness threatened to take over her will and paralysis of indecision her body…think, think, she told herself over and over.

There must be a way just as there had been when she had escaped the compound in Washington that no one had ever escaped from.

Then she remembered something, the one weapon that had been given to her by her captor, the only one she had left to fight and in the last few footsteps until they reached his room, she had a decision to make quickly.

* * *

Matt swam in the current, which had warmed his body even as it chilled the areas around him into ice, blocks of it traveling with him, bumping against his body. He heard whispers around him, different voices, male and female, but what they were saying, he couldn't figure out.

But one of them had gone missing.

"C.J…"

He looked out and saw the smoothly sculpted canyons on either side of him, leaving him once again with nothing to grab, to pull himself out of the water. But then he looked closer and saw images projected on the walls, overlapping one another when one faded to be replaced by another…and they looked like they had to do with him. Images of him as a little boy, playing in his tree house…fishing with his father in their secret spot…the same place where he and C.J. had cemented their lifelong friendship…his time in the military with Will before he went missing, believed dead for nearly a decade before he and Roy found him…Too Mean's sacrifice to save him…Will on the brink of life or death on top of a skyscraper when he had been struggling with post traumatic stress disorder.

He felt the emotions of each experience rush through him, penetrating behind the warmth of the water that carried him in its embrace. Joy, sadness, elation and rage…all overlapping each other threatening to overwhelm him, threatening to sink him beneath the water but he pushed to keep his head up.

The vision of Will fighting to make the decision to live over the seductive pull of death which coaxed him ever closer to the edge had shaken him in ways few things did. That vision soon faded and he saw C.J. standing there instead…on the brink of deciding between life and death, while he stood as close as he could to her begging her to live.

She had looked as indecisive as Will did, even as she inched closer to the edge of the abyss, sometime after they both thought she had escaped. But like Will, C.J. had substituted one prison for another and the same forces within her that had compelled her to survive the first had pushed her towards succumbing to the one that came after. Matt thought back to when they had thought they couldn't stop Will from choosing death but somehow his cousin had turned the corner, just in time with Matt…and C.J.'s help. Will had told Matt sometime afterward that C.J. had somehow with her words penetrated through the haze he had erected against those trying to help him and had been about to share something with him when Matt had once again saved the day.

No C.J. would never do anything, find herself in the same straits as Will…no she was too strong, to determined to live to do that, but like Will the battle to endure imprisonment had left her worn out after her own liberation.

He had to find her, he had to stop her like he had done for Will.

"_You can't stop it," a voice said, "you didn't stop Will."_

But still Matt swam against the current once again to stop what he saw in the final vision on the smooth canyon wall.

Elena sighed, looking down at him, detecting the slightest twitching in his eyelids…was he dreaming perhaps but it wasn't sleep that had taken him. No, he had possibly gone into a coma of some form from the blood loss and she checked his wound again and noticed that it had stopped bleeding from the pressure she had applied. But any movement, even slightly and it could start up again and cause even more blood loss…enough to kill him.

Antonio and Andre had been standing in a corner, talking more quietly and she knew it was to find a way to get her to leave Matt and she couldn't do that. She felt a compelling force pushing her to remain with him no matter what that went beyond her personal feelings about him. She had glanced at the doorway where the other man had left with C.J. to take her back to the man who now owned her.

The man who had originally had her in his sights.

She felt guilt that C.J. had been given up by Andre in her stead and wished she could have stopped it, but Matt…he had needed her and she knew that C.J. wanted him to live even if it meant giving up her own life. Elena had felt that way about her own brother in the brief time she had known him, the only family she had that hadn't turned its back on her because she had been born female. But what he had done to protect her hadn't been right no matter what his reason…and now she had two brothers, Antonio and Andre, both opposite sides of the same coin as far as she was concerned. Both had been kind to her, but had done evil things to other people, harming them and even killing them.

After all, Antonio had delivered C.J. to Andre and had turned his back on her screams while Andre raped her. And Andre…she closed her eyes when she thought of what he had done to her and to other women as well…all to build himself a hugely lucrative business empire behind a shadow conglomerate that existed mainly to hide the truth.

With two brothers like that, what did that make her? After all she had been related to them by blood and nearly raised by one of them who had saved her life from others that ran the same businesses that he did.

She just looked at them talking as she knelt behind a dying man who she shared no blood, no familial lineage but who had been kind to her without asking or expecting anything in return.

And as he lay there, she couldn't save him while her two brothers who had destroyed and killed both lived.

* * *

C.J. felt him push her into his room after he unlocked the door and flipped a light switch, while maintaining a tight hold on her. He let loose of her after locking the door and she looked around her to see what looked a lot like a hotel room with a king sized bed, a closet, a desk and chair not to mention an area where a mini-frig and microwave oven sat, next to a bucket of ice which had mostly melted.

She backed up slowly, picking her spot closely towards the ice bucket, her hands reaching behind her carefully. Searching for what she hoped she'd find there while her eyes never left his face.

"It will just be a moment…then you'll be feeling a lot better…."

She just smiled at him and nodded slightly which of course drew his suspicion.

"What are you looking at?"

She smiled more widely and caressed her hip with one hand.

"You…"

He looked at her, more closely, somewhat puzzled.

"What are you up to," he said, "You know there's no escape for you…not where you're going."

She shrugged, trying to force casualness into her body, to ease the tension out of it.

"I know you're just following orders from someone else."

He relaxed just slightly.

"This isn't personal…If I had a choice in it…"

She tilted her head.

"I know…neither of us have a choice in the roles we've been forced to play," she said, "Look we don't have to leave right now do we…we still have some time…"

He frowned at her.

"For what…We've got to get going…"

She took deep breaths while forcing a smile on her face, as she walked towards him, the first steps a struggle, the rest coming easier.

"What…are you doing?"

She reached him and reached over to stroke his face. He leaned back a little but her hand reached their first and she smoothed the lines off of his face.

"You're not bad looking you know…"

"Hey if you think…"

But she reached for his hands and closing her own eyes, she placed them on her breasts, hoping he would catch on to what he was supposed to do next.

"You like that," she asked, "I do too…I can do much more to make you happy…then we can leave this place…"

"I can't…my boss…"

But as he said that, his hands caressed her body, and she forced the sensations, the invasiveness of it out of her mind as he reached beneath her shirt, his fingers stroking her bare skin. She inwardly recoiled but she never lost her focus though it took what she had left. She felt him move lower to unfastening the snap on her jeans and she braced herself for his hands to pull them down.

"If he founds about this…he'll have me killed…or he'll do it himself."

"I won't tell," she said, softly.

Her hands shakily moved towards his pants as he pushed her onto the bed, climbing on top of her, while she counted down the seconds until she could act for she hadn't left the ice bucket empty handed.


	120. Chapter 120

Another update hope you like it and thanks for the feedback!

* * *

C.J. felt the weight of the man on top of her trying to work her pants down her legs, while she tried hard to focus away from what he did to what she must do. Her fingers found and slid over the smooth, straight handle while his hands roamed over her body while she closed her eyes to push the places his hands touched away. He whispered disgusting things close to her ear but she had grown used to that and didn't listen. Not that he seemed to mind, so intent was he now on fulfilling one goal rather than on her.

A few more numbers to elapse, all the waiting that remained, she counted while she looked up at the ceiling where the light glowed as his body pressed down on hers, the stale scent of sweat intermingling with the spice of cologne. He struggled to get his own pants down.

"Not too much longer…"

Suddenly she pulled the item she had hidden in her clothing out and felt the rush of adrenalin as she felt her fingers wrap around it. Before he even knew what had changed in her, she stabbed him in the side with the ice pick.

"Oh…my god," he shrieked when the rush of pain had told him what she had done. He let go of her with one hand and reached towards his side, his hand coming back covered with blood. At that point, she pushed with all of her might against him to get him off of her and then she sidled away from him, falling off of the bed onto the floor. She struggled to pull her pants up again and got on her feet, eying him carefully where he lay on the bed cursing her.

"You…bitch…you will pay for that…"

She sighed, folding her arms after she realized that while he still lived, he seemed too shocked by her action to attack her.

"How so…and what will your boss say when you explain that knife wound to him?"

She knew by the expression on her face she had him there because if his boss discovered that he had been using the merchandise against strict orders not to do it, that a flesh wound she had given him would be the least of his problems.

"You came on to me…"

"I'm your prisoner and I'll tell him that you forced yourself on me and threatened to kill me if I told."

She thought that sounded good enough but then again she had no desire to stick around waiting to get caught. She still held the ice pick stained in blood in her hand and she looked down at him, wanting so badly to strike at him again and again until he bled out. Her fingers itched where they held the blade and her adrenalin threatened to push her over but…no she couldn't do it. She didn't want to sink even deeper into the darkness than she had already. Already the life that she clung to had become heavy, enough to drag her underneath.

"You…."

But his voice became weaker; his gasps became more pronounced even though she knew the wound hadn't been fatal. It would slow him down a while and she needed to take advantage of his state to get out of there. She had to get back to the room, back to where Matt lay on the floor miles away from anyone who could save his life. With one last look at the man, she opened up the door and looking both ways, saw empty hallway. She wondered if Andre had his forces evacuate knowing that an assault to counter the offensive waiting outside the compound would prove futile.

She continued carefully down the hallway, in her mind trying to draw out the map that she had created while the man had dragged her towards his room. She still felt him on her but there had been nothing to do about that. She passed several more corridors then the familiar one and the room where she had left Matt.

Cautiously she crept towards it, still holding onto her ice pick which she then put away. The door remained open and she listened for noises but she didn't hear any so she peered inside and saw Elena alone with Matt lying on the floor so very still. Her eyes widened and Elena turned around to look at her.

"They left…"

Antonio and Andre of course, sometime during the time that she had been gone, C.J. guessed.

"Where…what happened?"

Elena shrugged.

"A guard came in and told Andre that there were other…men waiting at the airport to capture them when they arrived," she said, "They're checking on the harbor."

C.J. realized that if the feds and their men could cut off the flow of escapees to the airport and harbor, they could stop the kidnapped women from being transported off the island and thus disappear forever. She hoped that they could save the women and free them. Andre's men might try to put up a fight but there wouldn't be enough of them.

"And they left you here?"

Elena nodded.

"Andre said they'd be back," she said, "They wouldn't leave without me but I'm not going with them…I'm not leaving Matt here."

C.J. knelt beside Matt and checked his neck for a pulse. Damn, it was weak, if only they had been able to get him to medical help…no there was still time for that…she couldn't give up and neither could he, not when they had already faced so much.

"Houston…it's me...you got to hang on…It won't be much longer. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to get us all out of here."

And she knew that she would or die trying and there wouldn't be anything at this point that she wouldn't do or that she would allow to stop her from doing what she promised him. If only he could hear her, perhaps he lingered somewhere listening.

"How did you get away from him," Elena asked.

C.J. paused not even wanting to remember. Tuck it away with everything else she wished to forget.

"I just did…I came back…"

Matt heard the faintest whispers of her voice, but couldn't quite make out what she said. He remained haunted by his vision of her on the edge of the top of the skyscraper, how he had been trying to reach her but she didn't hear him.

But another image replaced that which had scared him, causing the apprehension to slip under the current that carried him.

The landscape had become a sandy beach, abreast of the curling waves of the warm ocean that had met up at the horizon with a sky that matched its hue. They walked together hand in hand, her head resting against his shoulder as the seagulls flew in circles around them. Matt thought it must be from back when he had in his early twenties and the beach resembled Martha's Vineyard where they often spent weekends in one of the bungalows. He had always looked forward to the two of them getting away from their busy lives together and spending several days kicking back and relaxing, reveling in their easy friendship. They spent hours together, talking and laughing in such a beautiful place.

And when they were between relationships, stronger feelings threatened to surface but both of them had become so adept at keeping them at bay.

Although one time while they had been walking through the tides that came in to reclaim the beach she had stopped and turned to face him and he had tilted his head looking at her.

"I believe you're up to something counselor."

She brushed her face out of her hair and let it spill down her back. The expression on her face made her chuckle.

"Oh Houston…you do see what's not there," she said, "I'm doing what you're doing walking down the beach on such a lovely day."

Then he stepped forward closer, placed his hands on his shoulder and kissed her softly. She hadn't seemed surprised when he did that but she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.

"Houston…"

She had broken from the kiss while he stroked the memory of it from her lips with his fingers.

"I could fall in love with you if I'm not careful…"

He frowned at that memory because he hadn't recalled it, when she had said those words to him. Had she done that and he hadn't been listening, or did he hear them and then forget them. He tried to search for that memory but if it had indeed been real it eluded him. She had been wearing a flowery strapless dress and barefoot like him. Then it had faded once again and the darkness returned.

He felt as if he were buried underground, so deeply he would never again see the light and as if the air had been sucked away, leaving him feeling smothered. Her whispers receded further away…as had the light which had carried them.

"Elena, we've got to get him out of here before they return," C.J. said finally.

The younger woman looked at her.

"How can we do that," she said, "We can't both carry him…any move could cause him to start bleeding again."

C.J. looked at him lying there and at the door, knowing that if they didn't act quickly that the two men would return and if they found her there…no she had to figure out what to do and to figure it out quickly.

* * *

Jonathan and Sally left their team and followed Vince and Brody to where they had come from and where Zeke stood there waiting in the shrubbery.

"So this is the passage way," Jonathan asked, not impressed.

Vince shrugged.

"It's not much but it works."

Sally looked around them.

"I don't see any guards," she said, "Maybe Andre had them evacuate already…maybe they're all gone."

Jonathan doubted that they had moved that quickly.

"I think there's still people inside of there," he said, "but we have to proceed carefully…there could be security around every corner."

Vince gestured down a corridor.

"Come on, let's go this way…."

* * *

The guard looked at Antonio and Andre in the hallway.

"We've got most of the people evacuated in the passage but if it's true about the airport…"

Antonio ran his hand through his hair.

"Then they'll be ambushed by the reinforcements the feds brought in."

Andre shook his head.

"There's still the harbor…as long as the shipments are sent out, there are places here we could hide out until the feds give up."

"Not likely to happen Andre," Antonio said, "They especially want your head…and they'll take whoever they can on the way to getting to you."

"They haven't gotten me yet," he said, "We'll go to one of the hideouts, sit tight until we can move off the island and then we'll find another place to set up shop."

Antonio looked doubtful.

"How many places did your father leave you," he said, "How many uncharted islands or secluded wildered areas are left?"

Andre sighed.

"Enough…and now that I've cleared my debt with the Jaguar, we can get the business back up and running and sever that partnership."

Antonio scowled.

"I don't think he works that way," he said, "I'm surprised you're still alive at this point."

Andre shot him a deadly look.

"Actually I'm surprised you're still alive Antonio…"

The message underlying his words wasn't lost on Antonio but he didn't answer, he just looked down the hallway.

"We've got to get Elena," Antonio said, "That's what matters…we'll just leave Matt there…he's dying anyway."

Andre pondered that.

"Yes it's true and now that C.J.'s likely doped up and on her way to the airport," he said, "She'll believe the truth that there's no hope for him."

Antonio shook his head.

"She won't last long with the Jaguar," he said, "He's the most brutal trafficker out there, more ruthless than even you."

Andre sighed.

"He's a man without a heart or even a soul for that matter."

Antonio almost chuckled at his boss's observation believing it was almost like the pot calling the kettle black. But he had heard a lot about the Jaguar even though he hadn't seen him in action very much. His operation spanned all over Asia including South East Asia and into Eastern Europe, with brothels and underground auctions and clubs everywhere. Hiding in plain sight because so many law enforcement officers and even public officials were easily bought off with money and access to women.

"We'd better get going," Antonio said, "I'll go convince Elena that she must come with me…I think she's a bit angry with you right now."

Andre didn't deny it.

"When she allows herself to reason, she will know I did what's best for her."

Antonio just nodded and started heading back.

"Where are you going," he asked Andre.

"I have to make sure that anything they might find here that could trace back to us or our operation is destroyed."

Antonio nodded and headed back to the room where Elena had stayed with Matt, trying to think of a plan to save both her life and from her half brother.

* * *

"C.J…"

She bent down believing she had heard Matt's voice. Elena looked up too.

"I think he's regaining consciousness…"

C.J. couldn't believe it, but he tried very hard to open his eyes, she could see the exertion on his face.

"Houston…please come back," she said, "Wherever you are right now, I'm right here waiting and I'm going to get us out of here."

Now if she could only figure out how.


	121. Chapter 121

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* * *

C.J. looked down at Matt whose eyelids were fluttering, and his mouth moving as if he were trying to speak. She tried to get closer so she could hear him but she couldn't make out any words.

"He must be rebounding from the blood loss," Elena said, not appearing to believe it, "but one wrong move and we might not be able to stop it this time."

C.J. reached for his hand, which didn't feel as cold as it had only some minutes ago and she rubbed it in her own. Even with the scars on her palms and fingers, she could still detect the nuances in Matt's own hand because she had held it so many times during the years she had known him. Matt had always been physically demonstrative with his affections towards his friends including her, but she had never read too much into it beyond that.

It felt familiar to her even in this unfamiliar place and holding onto it kept them connected even while death tried to sever the ties between them.

"Come on Houston…don't do this…don't slip away from me…"

"C.J…I…"

His voice sounded faint, like a whisper as if he were calling from some place far away from where his body lay on the floor.

"How long do you think until they come back," Elena asked.

C.J. had no idea, and she had pushed out Andre, Antonio and everyone else and everything she had done to get back to him. But they still had to get out of here, before they came back or they had to find a way to stop them.

She felt her hands itch and she knew she wanted to kill. The lives she had already taken to get here made those thoughts come easier, even as she struggled to live with that part of herself that she had never known until this nightmare began.

"You will kill him if he returns," Elena said.

Clearly reading her thoughts or if not what had passed across her face when she had thought about it. Easy enough to take the ice pick that she still had with her, covered in another man's blood and slicing it through the throat or some other vital part of the man who had destroyed her life. Just to watch him fall to the floor, a look of utter bewilderment on his face while he his life spilled out of him through his blood, the only life that Andre had ever had inside of him because the man had no soul.

And he had stolen her own from her.

She looked at Elena and nodded, without even really thinking about it.

"I will if I have the chance," she said, "If that's what it takes to get Houston out of here and save his life."

Elena considered her words, her eyes troubled, a pain stabbing through her that C.J. could sense but she would have to live with it.

Just like C.J. had the rest of her lifetime to live with what had been done to her.

"Why," Elena asked, "Why kill him?"

C.J. just looked at the emotions swimming across the younger woman's face. She knew that Elena loved her brother even as she despised him for what he had done. The fact that he had saved her life from his own kind and brought her up clashed with the truth about his involvement in the world he had saved her from that day years ago.

"It's either him or us," she said, "and I'm choosing us. As long as I can, I'm not giving in and I'm not losing my best friend."

"But he's coming back soon…he'll find out that you escaped…"

C.J. stroked Matt's hair off of his brow while he tried to speak again.

"I'll be ready for him," she said, "I'm done belonging to anyone but myself, to being this thing that he turned me into that can be bought or sold or disposed of if I say no to it."

Elena looked troubled but she listened.

"But he's stronger…"

C.J. looked down at Matt and then at her.

"No…he's not…"

"What do you mean," Elena said, "He kept you prisoner, he sold you to some other evil man instead of me and he shot Matt."

"I know…but for a moment, I saw my life in Houston's eyes and I want it back," she said, "I want us to go back home together and try to find a way to live with what's happened if there's a way."

Elena saw the determination in her eyes and swallowed noisily. She knew that look having seen it before months ago during another night thousands of miles away.

"I saw that when you killed him…Piser," she said, "with the letter opener."

C.J. looked up from Matt and nodded.

"I had to…he was going to find me and I couldn't let that happen," she said, "when Andre left that last time, I knew I had to find a way to escape before he returned or I'd never have another chance."

Elena nodded, remembering what she had found when she came in that office.

"I killed a man once before," C.J said, "I pushed him off a cliff near Houston's cabin, a man who came after me with a knife after killing Carl…the man I loved."

Elena's brow knitted as she checked Matt's vitals again.

"It was either him or me…and that's what it is now…I'm not giving anymore of my life to him and my body's not his to take or to sell to someone else."

"I remember when you left…and he was dead on the floor surrounded by his blood," Elena said, "The guards…they were coming and I tried to delay them from finding you."

C.J. looked up at her.

"You did…"

Elena nodded.

"Then before Andre returned, some of them took him out and buried him in that area off to the side, near the edge of the cliff overlooking the river…"

C.J. knew it had been where they had buried the women…and Fernando. She suspected that Elena knew that too. She knew that also explained how the box with Piser's remains had wound up washing up on a beach, if the edge of the cliff that he had been buried had broken off during a harsh mountain storm sending it and any bodies buried beneath it into the river, the same one that led to the ocean.

* * *

Matt struggled even though he felt the current tug at him again, it didn't relent in its pull on his body as tired as it felt from being submerged. He had tried so hard to open his eyes but it were as if there were weights pressing down on them, and he tired so easily. His lips had moved, but he still felt as if he spoke inside his head and that no one in that other world he had left had heard him.

And what he had to say had been important as any last man's dying words. He had seen her sitting beside what she believed to be what was left of him, holding his hand, which he felt like a whisper.

He looked up and saw himself hiking down a dusty road in some country he had visited on his travels after leaving L.A. in a rush to escape what had held him there. But it had followed him and wherever he went he had felt it on his heels. Because you could change places, you could change countries, you could travel all the way around the world but you couldn't escape yourself.

And he hadn't realized that since he had spent those hours in the sweat lodge and had seen his visions. That had cemented the decision for him to go back home.

"The world changed so much didn't it," that woman said, "from the one you had left."

Matt could only nod as he stood there on that road, hearing her voice but not seeing her.

"Where was I when it happened," he said, "Why was I not able to know?"

The woman knew what he had meant, the night that C.J. had been abducted in his parking garage, the one he had believed to be safe and what had followed.

"Does it matter," the woman asked, "You can't blame yourself for what happened. It could have happened if you hadn't left."

Matt didn't believe her because the plan to take C.J. away had been years in the making but had actually been put into play not long after his departure. As if they had been waiting for him to leave or maybe…

"Scott pushed for me to go…to get away for a while and find myself," he said, "That he would take care of everything until I returned."

Which he had done by betraying him in the worst of ways and Matt still didn't fully understand why. What had made Scott hate his best friends so much to do something so evil and how Matt had totally missed that side of the easy going vagabonding buddy he had gone through so much with when they were young.

But apparently C.J. had her own experiences with him too and had nearly paid a high price for Scott's own criminal behavior. As it turned out that payment exacted from her had only been deferred.

"You can't stop everything," the woman said, "You couldn't stop my death. Oh you used to pray every night to take what you did, what happened back and start all over but it wasn't your act to reverse…you couldn't."

Matt felt puzzlement fill him because there had been something so familiar about the woman's voice. He didn't remember ever hearing it, yet somehow…

"You…"

Somewhere he felt her smile.

"You're a fine man Matlock…better than anyone could have hoped for," she said, "but you have to go back…it's not your time, not by nearly."

Matt felt so weak that he didn't think her words by themselves could change anything and the current swept him away each time he fought it, stronger as if his own energy fed its vigor.

"It's your own feelings that are holding you captive," she said, "You feel guilt…and that's wrong and it's misplaced and it helps only you not face the future…"

"What do you mean," he asked, not understanding at all.

"She needs you…but not that part of you," she said, "And when you love someone, someone who's changed your life with her presence in it, you have to be strong and not dwell on what's been done."

"I can't face it…I can't face what was done…I keep thinking if I just hadn't left…if I've stayed," he said, "even if they had grabbed her, I'm an investigator….I've solved murder…and I've found missing people before it's too late to help them…even at the last possible second."

She sent him her love through the charged air and he felt it even with the movement of the water against him.

"I was too late for once…and the one time I really wish so differently," he said, "I could have stopped that nightmare before it started…I know I could have."

She appeared to consider that, from wherever she lived, whether within this alternative to earth or deep inside of him.

"Perhaps…but maybe it wasn't your place," she said, "Life's often harsh Matlock, it robbed us of each other, it cost your cousin over 10 years of his life in the most brutal of worlds and it altered her life but while every rose has its thorns, you must not forget the flowers."

He considered that and knew that advice came from a place of love but the weakness that surrounded him kept him from getting back. But had his own guilt been feeding that?

"Her life isn't over but it will be if you aren't there," she said, "The toughest roads are still ahead and you need to be ready for them."

Matt couldn't imagine much worse than what they had faced, what she had lived through and barely survived and what he had done to get back to her. Hearing about worse threatened his resolve again, as the current strengthened but Matt wasn't made out of weak stuff. His own life's journey had taught him that, the truth about his parentage and the two fathers who both loved him and saved his life…the loss of his cousin and how that nearly destroyed him and his recovery. Nearly dying from two bullet wounds and having to find the man trying to kill him…then the men who brainwashed him, causing him to believe he killed a woman in cold blood.

If it hadn't been for those who loved him…for C.J…he would have sunken into the depths of despondency.

"Life's thrown out some tough lessons," she agreed seeing what he remembered, "but it's made you into who you are now and that's enough to go back."

"But the water…"

Once again, the smile he felt like the warmth of the sun rather than saw.

"Matlock, surely you know what feeds it," she said, "What gives the river that carries you its power."

He felt confused at her words, almost as if he could understand but not quite.

"What…"

She sighed, but out of the infinite patience of someone who loved him.

"It's you…it's your sadness, your anger, your doubts, despair and fear…I know you feel those things but you've got to find that part of you that knows great joy, faith, hope and most of all love."

"But…"

"No, if you don't know these things and own them, then the river will carry you forever…in circles until you are weak enough for it to claim you."

Matt struggled to understand that as he had fought the current and realized that fighting it had only made it harder to stay afloat.

No, he had to do the most hardest of things and surrender control over the side of him that wanted to keep fighting rather than accepting that he had to find the better part of himself again to get back to his life…and back to her, the woman that held his hand and unknowingly kept him anchored.

* * *

Andre paced in front of Antonio as the guard related to them that the evacuations had gone through except for a small group but when he tried to communicate with the airport or the ports, no one responded.

"It might not mean anything," the guard said, not wanting to give them bad news, "They might be too busy loading up to respond on their radios or com links."

Andre sighed.

"Not likely," he said, "My men know first of all to respond to a call…are there any signs of the feds or the military."

The guard sighed.

"That is not known at this time sir."

Antonio nodded.

"They're there and I think they are taking people into custody," he said, "There's no other reason why they wouldn't respond."

The guard looked at both of them hesitating before he addressed them again.

"There's no sign of that woman or the man that is moving here," he said, "Whether they've been taken in or haven't yet left is not known."

Andre gritted his teeth.

"Damn…I'd better find out," he said, "Did anyone see him leave with her?"

The guard shook his head.

"Could they still be here?"

The guard furrowed his brow.

"No one has seen them here either."

Antonio looked over at Andre.

"Forget about her," he said, "We have to get Elena out of here and to safety and we have to find a way to one of the safe houses on the island until the heat dies down."

Andre shook his head.

"It will never die down," he said, "And if the Jaguar doesn't get what her, he'll come after Elena."

Antonio knew that to be true. That if C.J. didn't make it to him…well she wouldn't be safe…ever as long as the Jaguar lived and no doubt, he had gone a bit underground while all this buzz of enforcement activity had settled on Sapphire Island, a remote locale not used to that kind of attention. But few people knew the cover that the Jaguar used when not trafficking in humans. Hiding in plain sight, they called it.

"I'm going to go find out what happened to C.J. and the Jaguar's man," he said, "but you need to find Elena and find a route to safe house east…it's small but it will do for a while…there's an airstrip on the next island which is accessible by watercraft."

Antonio knew that Andre had plenty of that but he didn't want Elena to stay with her half brother and exposed any longer to this ugly world.

They split up in their separate directions.

* * *

C.J. turned to Elena.

"I'm going to find a way out of here," she said, "Keep him alive…please…"

Elena nodded but she looked doubtful and then C.J. bent over to kiss him goodbye…for now she promised silently.

And somewhere far away, he responded.


	122. Chapter 122

The latest update is up, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

She hated leaving him again, more than she had felt anything in a long time. But she had no choice; if she stayed with him she really watch him die in front of her. She didn't want to lose him that way, not without doing whatever it took to try and save him. Andre and Antonio hadn't returned

The corridors looked darker now, and she guessed that most of the guards and other employees who worked for Andre had evacuated in anticipation of whatever response those waiting outside had planned. She wondered if Andre knew about the man that she had left bleeding inside the room and whether he would come looking for her.

What had happened to Vince and the others, had they escaped? She hoped so, and wondered what route they had found out of the compound. The huge building had been designed deliberately in the form of a labyrinth she remembered, like all the others, to prevent escape but in her case the design had failed. Still now she felt as if she were moving in circles, and exhaustion had finally began to catch up with her, not just from tonight but from all the nightmarish months that had preceded it. The larger part of what made her fought constantly against a smaller piece of her that wanted to give up because she had already lost so much.

But when she thought about that, when her mind took her down that path, she thought of him, the man who had sacrificed so much including possibly his own life to help her free herself. She had to do whatever it took to get him out of here so that resolve caused her feet to move faster, her eyes to sharpen in the darkness to find that glimmer of small light that would signal a way out.

She had spent so many hours lying in pitch darkness in her bed, every time he had left her there. Just waiting for the small shaft of sunlight to enter into her cell every morning to tell her that daylight had come, the time of the day that would give her precious few hours to pretend the night didn't exist. The nights that belonged to him and gave him the avenue to take more ownership of her.

Freedom had been so elusive, so distant to her that she didn't think of it much because the rawness of what it elicited proved to be overwhelming. But when she got close enough to where she could almost see it, she realized soon enough that it scared her too. She had thought so much and so often of going home, of returning to the life that had been stolen from her and the realization that she wouldn't be the same person…no she couldn't think about that not while the most important person in her life lay dying and needed her.

She would deal with the rest of it later.

* * *

Vince and Jonathan moved down the corridor trying to retrace the steps that Vince and the others had taken from where Matt was towards the exit.

"Where the guards," Sally asked.

"Probably on their way to getting apprehended by our team at the airport," Jonathan answered.

Vince stopped at a crossroads and looked in each direction.

"It gets a bit fuzzy here," he said, "Damn this place is so confusing."

Sally nodded.

"Obviously a product of design," she said, "The deeper you get into it, the more lost you'll get so let's keep it simple okay?"

Jonathan looked at his partner.

"I studied architecture in college," she said, "before I changed to administration of justice."

Jonathan had long wondered now if that's even what their agency did but they looked at Vince who finally pointed in one direction. Brady and Zeke just shook their heads and they all walked down the corridor hoping it was leading in the right direction.

"I know it's down here," Vince insisted, "Come on let's get a move on."

Brady caught up with him.

"What if we run into some of Andre's men or even the man himself?"

Vince sighed.

"We'll stop in advance of the room and check it out closely and carefully and then put together a plan of action from there."

Jonathan nodded.

"We have to be damn careful," he said, "A man like Andre's going to go on the attack if he's cornered like a damn rattlesnake."

And so they crept even slower down the corridor, watching splashes of light play on the walls, careful not to turn themselves into shadows announcing their presence to anyone.

Looking behind themselves ever so often to make sure they weren't being tracked.

* * *

Matt sat on the beach, watching the water splash up just short of where he had rested his bare feet. The woman sitting next to him in a blue bikini smiled at him as she enjoyed the sun basking down on both of them. Matt guessed they were in the tropics somewhere on some island, maybe the Bahamas or even…the familiar island where they had stayed with Too-Mean's friends. He looked over to C.J. reading a book, her dark hair spilling around her face, hair that had felt so soft under his fingertips. When she saw him gazing at her, she smiled and shifted her body and…her fingers grazed her fuller abdomen. He had reached out to stroke her face, and move closer to kiss her. She reached her hand to rest it on his shoulder and he saw the glimmer of gold ion one of her fingers.

Clearly this was one of those alternate futures that had been dangled in front of him on his journey down the river and obviously they had been quite busy.

The man in his vision, him looking tanned and relaxed looked over at the very beautiful woman whose scars on her face near her eyebrows seemed to have faded somewhat.

"How's your book?"

Matt just looked at himself wondering what kind of inane question was that, and then he realized that at least in this reality life had receded to some sense of normality where the inane didn't just live but was welcome. Because she had smiled back, smoothing the hair out of her face and smiled at him.

"Pretty good," she said, "It's been so long since I've had time to read…to do so many things and when the baby comes…"

He grinned.

"We'll both be quite busy won't we," he said, "but I can't wait for that…as crazy as it gets…It's what I've always wanted."

She bit her lip.

"Me too…and I never thought I'd see it…there were times…even recently…I think I feel like we're finally reaching the other side even after the trial…"

He stroked her face and Matt looking on could feel the softness of her skin himself.

"I just wish Daddy could have met his grandchild."

She looked down for a moment and then met him with a smile.

"I think he knows…I think he's up there and watching..."

Matt reached out his own hand to touch what had appeared so real, but when his finger touched it, it rippled like a mirage and faded away. The suddenness of what he had seen tore his breath out of his lungs. The idea that at the end of all this, that could be their future filled him with warmth, to see the happiness on her face which had been so elusive. Marriage and a family with the woman he had loved his whole life, that seemed like worth living for as if he needed any more incentive.

But then the world turned dark again, the waters swirling around him again. Come on, he told himself, as he fought to open his eyes again…just to see what had just departed, the future he wanted so desperately, his anchor. His muscles ached from both the exertion and the frigidity of the current that swept him along. He had tried to grab at the sides of the canyon but again, the walls proved slick and unwelcome.

"_How badly do you want it," a voice said from nowhere, "What will you do?"_

Anything, he thought to himself because his lips refused to move, then he heard another voice from somewhere, and a touch on his shoulder from somewhere outside the waters.

"Come on Houston…don't leave us buddy…We're going to get you out of here but we can't do it without you…"

And then as he opened his eyes, the darkness faded, a stream of light struck him instead and several faces appeared in front of him as his vision sharpened.

"Vince….?"

Warmth and a firm hand gripped his shoulder and he saw Vince turn towards the others.

"He's still with us…we've got to get him out of here."

Matt's brow furrowed.

"C.J…."

Vince looked at Elena who stood there watching them, overjoyed to see them again but concerned about her patient.

"Where is she?"

"She went to go find a way out of here," Elena said, "Not long ago."

Vince looked at Matt.

"You've messed up pal," he said, "You got yourself shot and you've lost a lot of blood and Zeke and Brody and I, we're going to get you out of here."

Jonathan looked over at Sally.

"How much time do we have before they send them in here?"

She shrugged.

"A few minutes maybe…I wonder if they're as efficient at doing this as they've claimed."

Jonathan wondered that too but now that they were inside…maybe they could do some damage.

"We'll go find her…you get him out of here," he said, "Now before the window closes."

Elena nodded.

"I think if you're very careful…he can be moved but any jostle can start the bleeding again."

Vince nodded grimly as he, Brody and Zeke worked to get Matt off the floor.

"Hey you don't have to carry me," Matt protested weakly, "I can keep up with you."

Vince sighed.

"Sure buddy whatever you say," he said, "But we have to get you out of here some time today or none of us might get out of here at all."

Matt couldn't argue with that because he really didn't have the strength but leaving without C.J….just wasn't an option and he began to pull at them.

"Houston…"

"Vince, I'm not leaving without her," he said, "That monster is still wandering around loose and if he finds her…"

Jonathan pulled out his gun and checked to see if it's loaded.

"I'll kill him…it will be like stepping on a roach," he said, "and at this point, screw the protocol."

Sally glared at him.

"You can't mean that Jonathan," she said, "We have to do this by the book as ordered."

Jonathan shook his head at her.

"We've already violated procedure by being here without backup and against orders," he said, "We'll be lucky if they don't throw us out or prosecute us for obstruction not to mention insubordination."

She nodded, not being able to argue with that.

"Okay let's get going…and let's try not to get killed by our own troops."

He followed her out of the room to do just that. Vince and Brody looked at Matt.

"We'd better get moving," he said, "and don't worry they will find her."

Elena looked at them.

"Make sure you don't move him too quickly and keep hold of him just like that," she said, "and if there are not medics outside…you'll need to find some."

Vince nodded.

"There's a medical evac team courtesy of the army," he said, "They'll take care of him."

She pursed her lips.

"Then take him," she said, "I'll go find C.J. and I'll make sure my brother Andre doesn't hurt her."

Vince looked at her in shock, both from the realization and also from her rash plan of action.

"Elena you have to get out of here," he said, "He's a very dangerous man, he's about to be cornered and he'll be desperate."

She looked at him with resolve in her eyes.

"I can handle him…I might be the only one who can at this point," she said, "Now go…you don't have any time to waste. If he dies, I do believe C.J. will have everyone's heads for it."

Vince sighed, knowing there was no persuading her so they gingerly moved Matt along towards the door and down the corridor. She started to follow when someone blocked her.

Antonio had returned.

* * *

C.J. walked down the corridors but she felt herself drawn even deeper into the labyrinth of the compound. It was eerily quiet and the doors remained closed alongside the hallway. She looked around her and saw that a light ahead, one door that looked open and headed in that direction, it led to what looked like an elegantly decorated suite with a pair of French doors leading to a balcony. She pushed carefully through the doors and found a breath taking view of the ocean, lit up by dots which she knew to be watercraft, a concentration of them near what must be the Harbor of Sapphire Island. About a hundred feet below, the ocean's waves crashed onto a small strip of sand surrounded by jagged rock.

Not a very good escape route for anyone she decided as she headed back into the suite and that's when she saw him standing there between her and the door back into the highway. Dressed in his black Armani suit, his muscular frame tense and alert, though when he spoke, his voice remained soft and yet deadly.

"What a nice surprise," Andre said, closing the door behind him and locking it barring her escape route.


	123. Chapter 123

Another installment is up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

Another update up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

God she hated him so much when he looked at him, the man who had lingered in the background of her life as a shadow over everything she had done and experienced until the day he had stepped out to claim her.

Now he stood before her again, the predator living inside the man and her body recoiled, as the familiar fear permeated deep inside of her. They were alone again, the way he wanted, the way he controlled but she knew she had to hold her ground to get away.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

She just stared at him, her fingers digging into her palms as she tried to maintain her focus.

"What is there to say," she said, "You took me from where I lived, you broke me and then when I escaped, you came after me."

"I told you I would didn't I," he said, his eyes not leaving her, "Where is the man who took you?"

"Bleeding to death I hope," she said, "I'm not leaving with him and I'm not going to be owned by anyone."

Andre sighed.

"It's not your decision to make," he said, "You belonged to me and I sold you to my more powerful partner. If you don't go now, you will go and if you leave…he'll find you."

"I don't belong to anyone not him and certainly not you," she said, watching his movement.

He chuckled at her bold words, obviously believing to be foolish.

"You've always belonged to me since that night in Boston," he said, "If we hadn't been interrupted by my father's men…it would have been different…but even before then when I first saw you."

She looked at him puzzled not knowing their paths had crossed earlier.

"Oh yes, at the party where you looked so lovely so soft and so unmarred by the world," he said, "You were with a young man not worthy of you at this party at the society club."

She did remember a party she had attended with a law school classmate, a nice guy named Doug, who she only socialized with that one time. She didn't remember seeing Andre there in attendance and she knew if she did, she'd remember.

"After that night…"

Oh she knew, it hadn't taken her that long to figure out that the whole scenario involving her and Julia and also by fate, Jonathan had been an elaborate setup. And maybe that's why Scott had really disappeared unable to be found by Andre's men.

"But why…?"

He didn't answer, just looked at her with those deadly eyes, like a snake. She kept watching him carefully because she knew how quickly he could move, and she backed up a step.

"I had to…anything I want I take," he said, "Though I had to wait until the time was right with you…though I did watch you."

She knew that too. Even when she hadn't, she often felt watched, her hair prickling on the back of her neck but when she looked around for that faceless person she sensed, she saw nothing.

"I had a life…one I loved…with people I cared about…why did you destroy that?"

He appeared to think it an odd question.

"Because I owned you," he said, "You never were free…go back over your life and parts of it, you'll see that some of the choices you made were illusions."

Despite her resolve not to show him anything, it took a lot to stop the fear threatening to overwhelm her over those simple words. She knew he meant them and that he had the power to make them true.

"Even some of the men…you took to bed…"

Her eyes widened at him and a smile lit up his face, his eyes still calculated.

"Who…."

"The man on the yacht, remember him," Andre said, "You told him you wanted to sail away with him to some exotic island…away from L.A…but you had someone there with you and you left…but you returned."

And she had, and they had gone sailing out to an island off of Mexico and spent a memorable week together.

"He worked for me and my company," Andre said, "and he reported back on you like I paid him to do. Every detail of what you did with him…where you went…what you liked."

She felt like screaming just when she thought she had none left when it came to the man in front of her.

"There were others…"

Nausea threatened to overcome her and she covered her mouth. She went back over every man she'd ever been involved in, ever fallen in love with and shared parts of herself just like he wanted her to do.

"Some of them paid me."

She backed up another step, up against a door he had locked. Her whole life…what about the men she had loved who she had trusted, who had they really been, what they presented or what Andre had created?

"Not that psychopath that asked you to marry him," Andre said, "the one who killed a string of people to get to the top of his profession."

Robert Tyler.

The man who she had nearly walked away from Matt to be with, an action she never thought possible.

"I hired someone to kill him actually," Andre said, "but it didn't become necessary. Prison is a greater punishment for a man like that."

She reeled from his admissions because he had never told her much about himself and what drove him when he had held her prisoner and forced her to be his slave. She had considered him a man of action and fewer words when it came to himself.

"Why…"

He didn't blink his eyes at all, not at her.

"Because I can..."

And those words chilled her blood as much as any others.

Elena glared at Antonio who just looked at his sister, wondering why she was being so difficult when he needed her to leave with him.

"Why won't you go with me," he said, "Matt is gone with the others and maybe they'll escape and maybe not…but there's no reason for you not to join me."

Elena grew very impatient with the man she cared about, but who didn't understand that she wanted to help her friends. Hadn't he ever had any of his own or had he always been a mercenary of sorts in attitude except when it came to his sister?

Not that it mattered because she was not going with him, not while C.J. still remained inside the compound trying to find a way out for them. Something must have happened to her, she realized. And she knew what, Andre had found her.

"I've got to go find her," she said, "Andre won't do anything if I talk to him…tell him he can't do this anymore."

Antonio grabbed her arms and looked straight at her.

"You can't…he's not going to listen to anyone," he said, "He lives by his own code and does what he wants Elena…you or no one else can change that…and he'll hurt you."

She shook her head.

"No…he cares about me…if it weren't for him…I might be dead or wish to be…I can talk to him."

Antonio just sighed.

"He's got C.J. then he'll use her to get what he wants," he said, "To get out of here if he needs it or hand over to the Jaguar."

Elena just didn't want to believe that there was nothing that could be done…to get C.J. out and to get her brother to let her go and make other choices for himself. She didn't realize that Andre had never paused at the choices that he made with his life. If the man had a conscience, no one had ever seen it. But what could be said about a man who believed he owned flesh and blood, that he could buy and sell it and in C.J.'s case own it. He had stolen her life from her and had used her as he saw fit, then when she had tried to escape which he viewed as an act of betrayal, he sold her and had watched as several men held her down while they branded the mark of her new ownership on her shoulder.

Like you would a head of cattle.

Elena hadn't really seen that side of him and she hadn't known the worst of what hadn't been uncovered that Andre had done to C.J. and to others. Antonio had gotten to know his boss.

But still the young woman couldn't be deterred and she headed towards the door.

"Where are you going," he demanded.

"Out to find her," she said, "You can help me or you can leave by yourself. It's your choice to make. I've made mine."

And with that, she took off and got the jump on him, with him sprinting to keep up with his sister.

For his decision had been made too by her own course of action.

Matt struggled to remain conscious as his vision dimmed and sharpened with each step, not ones that he really took as both Vince and Brady in particular both cajoled and threatened him even as they dragged him down endless corridors.

"Are you sure we're going the right way," Brady said, suddenly uncertain.

Vince would stop a moment, wipe his brow of the perspiration because the air conditioning had been turned off at some point and then nod, continuing forward. His memory remained sharp despite being away from his vocation and he knew he headed down the right path.

"C.J…"

Matt would force her name past his lips, every so often and Vince's heart would grow heavy knowing if his close friend hadn't been so out of it, he would have killed him before being allowed to leave without her. God, he hoped she had escaped somehow, Vince told himself and he tried to reassure Matt who barely heard him. So suspended he still appeared to be between worlds including one where it was C.J. herself who urged him along, told him not to worry about her.

"Vince…where is…"

The former cop squeezed his shoulder.

"We're getting there," he said, "We're going to get you to a doctor soon enough and they'll patch up that wrecked up body of yours and then when that's done, we'll all go out for drinks."

Vince didn't mention C.J. very much because if Matt started to worry, they'd never get him out quickly enough to save his life and C.J. if she made it would never forgive them for that. He knew what the two of them had been too busy to figure out which was that they loved each other, that what Matt must have seen that made him return from the precipice of death must have had to do with the woman he cherished more than anything. But they had a tougher road to haul than what they faced now if they both escaped.

A difficult journey that would become very clear to them once the dust settled because of the scars that she still bore beyond those on her hands and face. But Vince knew that she had a core of strength underneath which had gotten her this far and Matt wouldn't ever leave her to face anything alone, not while he drew breath so somehow they would work it out together. He just hoped they had that chance.

But inside there, he knew somewhere C.J. stood fighting to get free of what still held her and that it was her own battle to face.


	124. Chapter 124

The next installment is up, thanks for reading and the feedback.

* * *

Matt stumbled as Vince and Brady led him through what they thought was the final corridor when a team of men came rushing by them.

"They look like army," Vince said, "They must be starting the raid but this is a huge compound…too many places to hide."

Brady nodded.

"Hopefully they have a med evac team just outside and we don't have to trek through the jungle with Matt."

Matt's eyes kept moving but he seemed barely aware of what was unfolding around him. Vince just checked him over.

"No signs of bleeding yet," he said, "So we're lucky so far but we've got to be careful with him."

Zeke nodded.

"One bleed out and he's done."

Matt listened to their words but barely heard them, though he saw lips moving in the men who held onto him. Where the hell was C.J and why wasn't she with them? No, he couldn't leave her behind while Andre was loose and god knows who else…but when he tried to resist, nothing happened, his body wouldn't cooperate. Damn, he hadn't felt so helpless since…since he couldn't remember right now. His heart beat loudly in his ears, the rush of the blood flow like a river. The one from which he had just escaped during his final moment of breath until he found himself still alive and breathing.

"We've got to keep going," Vince said, "Houston, you've got to hold on here…you can't leave us."

Matt struggled to answer that he had no intention of doing that but he felt weighted down still. Flashes of light appeared in front of him contrasted by shadows in darkness. He had died on the operating table once after being shot multiple times but he had no memory of that. Others had told him once they realized he was strong enough to take the news and not slip away again.

He struggled to hang on because he had to get back to her, he couldn't leave her like this without saying everything..but the men wouldn't let him do anything but follow them and ahead he saw a wall of darkness, with hints of light illuminating what appeared to be jungle.

They had reached the outside.

* * *

Jonathan swore as he and Sally proceeded guns drawn through the compound to find C.J. hopefully before Andre did and to deal with the trafficker if it came to that. Neither would have any problem rubbing him off the planet if given the opportunity. Despite all his training and experience, Jonathan saw no reason to allow Andre to live at this point, to go through the trouble of arresting him, taking him back to be detained and interrogated, even as he knew that Andre wouldn't say one word instead calling for some high priced attorney to come and speak for him.

Even though he had been caught red handed so to speak in the midst of a trafficking operation because he had gotten word that the feds accompanied by army forces had rounded up a group of traffickers and some of Andre's security forces at the air strip before they could escape and they had found a small group of women as well, who clearly had been abducted someplace else and transported to Sapphire Island to be sold to the other traffickers.

More women and traffickers likely would be apprehended soon at one or more of the harbors where the ships to pick them up had been moored awaiting their return after Andre's so-called party. The net had begun to surround those involved in Andre's operation and sweep them up inside it. That thrilled Jonathan but not all was done, because one major partner, only known as the Jaguar had avoided attending the party in person but had sent a representative and they had no idea who that was or whether or not they had been captured.

And no one had found C.J. yet nor had Andre turned up either meaning that it was much more likely than not that they were both still in the compound. If Andre had crossed paths with her, then he probably would be using her as a shield to get away. Jonathan figured he had safe houses on the island and others nearby and that he had provisions to wait out the commandos and feds until the heat died down allowing him to then slip away undetected.

Jonathan remained determined that this wouldn't happen, that this time Andre wouldn't be eluding authorities but would be going down. God, he remembered when the trafficker had been a younger punk, dressed in Armani but much rougher around the edges. He had wandered into a nightmare by offering to take C.J. to go pick up Julia from a party that they thought had just gotten out of hand, never guessing at the truth. That Julia's boyfriend, that no-good creep Scott had been working with Andre and then had double crossed him and run off with some vital information which led to Andre holding the two women and also Jonathan as collateral.

Not that this had shamed Scott into coming forward and Jonathan knew why now. But C.J. had tried to save them by offering herself to the dangerous man who fancied her. She never had told him what had happened when she had been separated from Julia and Jonathan before rescuing them after the building had been set on fire but had her nightmare that would explode years later begun that night or had that been merely one chapter of it?

Jonathan had suspected the latter, though the near tragic event had both galvanized his relationship with her and doomed it at the same time. At first he had blamed Matt's close relationship with his girlfriend for short circuiting his romance with her but it had been the parts of what had happened that night that worked towards chipping away slowly at what they had built together.

But their friendship had survived and when she had turned towards him in desperation for help, he had never considered saying no to her.

And he couldn't fail her now, he would find her and get her out of here.

"Come on Sally," he said, "We've got to keep on moving."

She sighed and walked alongside him.

* * *

C.J. felt like sinking to the ground in front of him but she couldn't, no she wouldn't give him that satisfaction to know that he won against her…not again. He paced back and forth moving slowly like a feline evaluating its prey after tiring of playing with it.

"Yes it's true…a man remember the one who had been the investment banker or so he told you," Andre continued, "He paid over $10,000 for that weekend he spent with you on that business trip you took to Vancouver."

She thought back though she struggled not to remain in his lair, where he tried to break down the reserves she had built up against him since her escape.

"He came back very satisfied," Andre said, "So you see before I brought you to Washington you were primed for your new life. A whore without realizing it, how beautiful is that?"

The horror which filled her, impossible for her to stop and the chilling effect that it had on her, she couldn't fight. She didn't want to fight any longer but he made her listen.

"What…what gave you that right to use me like that?"

He tilted his head.

"I just told you that I owned you," he said, "My father you remember him, the one you tried to seduce so you could get away approved of my choice…when he found out about it, he helped me."

God, she just looked at him as he related this to her, the ultimate power trip of control and domination had been used on her and she had never known, how could she, nothing in her life had been what it had appeared. She remembered that man in Vancouver, he had seemed interesting and interested in her but when she had spent the weekend with him in a hotel she had thought it had been her decision.

She felt her legs weaken and he had done what he could to shift the power back with him without raising a weapon or using force. Did he really have that kind of hold on her still? Physically he had overpowered her that first night, ripping through her clothes and her defenses as if they were nothing, stifling her screams and her own attempts to fight against his invasion of her.

But with Andre, his most formidable tools or weapons had been in his mind. No doubt he had learned that from his father. She had to be stronger now than she had been and resist his attempts to break her down again and control her. But he'd had a lifetime to work on it, knowing nothing but hatred towards women, having beaten them, exploited them and in many cases, killed them before dumping their bodies. He had never mentioned that part of his life to her but she had always known.

She stood backed against the wall, as if trying to escape him and he still stood across the room from her. So she inched forward from where she stood, their air felt chilly against her face even though she knew it was not on that tropical island.

Clearly Andre approved.

"That's much better…I've missed you a great deal," he said, "So beautiful, so passionate about life, watching you brought me great pleasure almost as much as possessing you."

She felt a well of so many emotions going through her at once but she had to bring back that numbness that had both blessed and cursed her months ago. That shield that she put up against those around her including those she loved and she had to slow her breathing down to feel less lightheaded. Panic threatened to engulf her as it had just at the memory of him.

"I'm sorry I hurt you but that's how it had to be," he said, "I know you wouldn't submit that first time…and you had to learn the futility of fighting me….but that night was very memorable even more the nights that followed that we spent together."

He stepped closer to her this time, his voice soft and silky smooth as polished as his suit, only slightly betraying his roots which had sprouted in a much different world than this one.

"You raped me…every single time even when I didn't fight…even when I went along with it," she said, "It was never anything but that to me. I always hated you, and if I could have done it, I would have killed you."

He watched her silently, waiting for her to finish. What she called it mattered little to him.

"I killed Piser you know," she said, "I hated him too for what he did in Bannon County and in Washington but I sliced him up even more than I had to because when I looked at him, I saw you instead."

Andre's eyes widened in a way barely perceptible but she knew that he had to know that because of how his second in command had been found, lying dead on the floor of the office where he had found her. But when he responded, his voice remained unchanged because after all, he had always been the master of control; he had to be in order to survive a Duval albeit an illegitimate one. He had been the one who had survived.

"He was a weak man," Andre said, "It was all I could do to keep him from taking advantage of what wasn't his to touch. His time left was borrowed time."

So Andre had planned to eliminate Piser anyway, but then that probably happened much in his line of work, to elevate people up into positions of power through some cutthroat process and then kill them when they get too formidable. She took another deep breath feeling as if she were sprinting on top of a marathon even though she hadn't taken a step. Even after all these months away from him, months spent trying to build up walls around herself against him, he still had no trouble getting through them inside the core of herself.

She couldn't stop him from that point of attack, she tried to push him away but he had always been so strong.

"But you're weak Andre," she said, "After all for all you say about how memorable our time was together, you still sold me. You still watched as your men held me down and seared his ownership mark into me."

He just stared at her, his eyes not moving.

"You didn't fight to keep me and that excuse about my betrayal is just that…an excuse,"

He tilted his head, repositioned his powerfully built body slightly.

"I had a choice to make," he said, "and you're stronger than my…"

"Your sister," C.J. finished, "You'd already removed her from the world where men like you prosper from the exploitation of women like her."

He didn't respond to that and she knew he wouldn't bend on the reality that he essentially had acted to save his sister from men like himself.

"Your owner, one of my business partners came to Washington and reviewed the merchandise and was satisfied with the deal…He liked you very much. He has great use for beautiful women like yourself and considers it great sport to break them down."

"But I was already broken by you…Elena on the other hand…"

Andre struggled then to keep his poise, she saw it. And even though she knew he loved his sister as much as a man like him could love, it surprised her.

"I wasn't going to let him take her," he said, "and I made that clear to him that it would never happen no matter what it took to stop it."

She sighed again, rubbing her shoulders to stop their shaking.

"So you sold me instead…but I told you…no one owns me…not you…not him...and I'm not going with anyone."

Andre chuckled, clearly showing his amusement at her averment.

"You are deluding yourself if you really think you have any chance of escaping his plans for you," he said, "The man who owns you is extremely powerful and he'll hunt you down until he finds you…he'll move when you least expect it, when you think that you're finally safe...And no one even the man standing next to you when he strikes will ever see you again."

She found his certainty in his words chilling.

"He's got no soul and he takes his ownership very seriously," Andre said, "He'll kill anyone who stands between him and what belongs to him and his…preparation program is much more rigorous than mine…you might not survive the cut."

God, he was serious if she needed any further reminder of that. It had been like she told Matt a hundred years ago, and she knew that she couldn't put him through that; she couldn't sacrifice his life to prevent the loss of her freedom.

"You don't believe me do you," he continued, "If you knew what was in store, you would beg me to kill you."

She just looked at him stunned.

"I'll never…"

He chuckled again.

"Oh yes you will…but I can't do it even if I wanted to," he said, "and I need insurance to protect Elena."

She felt paralyzed then despite her determination to be stronger; he had stripped her down again with just words.

And looking back at him, she had a feeling that the worst was yet to come.


	125. Chapter 125

Another installment is up, thanks for reading and for the feedback!

* * *

She loved the evenings that she had spent with him in the bungalow back on another tropical idyll many miles away from Sapphire Island. When the days ended with all their busyness, and the night loomed ahead of her, they had sat on the porch together wiling the hours down together. A nightmare on her heels, uncertainty ahead, there had been times there when she didn't want to face the present but not for him.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore," she told him, her hair hiding the expression on her face.

He would take her hands and rub them gently, enough to close her eyes.

"C.J. you got these scars getting away…we'll finish this together okay?"

She sighed as a vision of that night among many flashed in front of her because now she stood alone locked up in some suite with her captor. The only escape through French doors and a very long distance to the rocky shore below, he looked where she looked and chuckled.

"That's one way to try and escape I think," Andre said, "and since Matt has probably already died."

She closed her eyes just at those words, pushing the emotions they wrought as far away as possible. No, he couldn't be dead…Elena and perhaps the others…they needed to be there to get him out of there and to the doctors he needed to save him. She searched her mind and other places deeper inside her for the truth, the sense that she knew would drive through her if he had died and she didn't feel it. But could he have slipped away without her knowing?

The uncertainty tore at her but she didn't betray it because she would be giving him another weapon to use against her.

"Don't you have anything to say about him," Andre said, "I know you love him, I know you were with men and imagined his face and his body instead. Even when you were with me."

No, she hadn't really because she knew the two men were nothing alike but she had held onto the pictures Andre gave her of Matt out there in the world somewhere where no one but her captor could find him as if they were lifelines when Andre took his piece of her every night and left with it. She could curl up in a fetal position afterward, with her fingers curled around a photograph. She kept them in her bag of possessions tucked beneath her mattress where no one looked.

The bag she had left there when she escaped that night.

"They're coming here for you," she said quietly, "the men who will stop you."

Andre smiled.

"No they won't…I've got operations all over the world…compounds…safe houses and I borrowed a page from my father's book after all."

"It won't matter," she said, "You're in their crosshairs now and they won't stop."

"Neither will I…there's a safe house inside of her that they can never access…I could go inside it and wait this out until they've done their operation and are gone and I could take you with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

He took one step closer to her.

"Oh yes you are if I decide it," Andre said, "The Jaguar's probably watching what's happening and will have to readjust his plans for a while at least."

"Maybe they'll get him too."

Andre shook his head.

"He's got too much protection and the perfect cover," he said, "In that way he's done better than me but it's all just business to him, he's got no heart, no soul. Born without either one."

C.J. didn't consider Andre a good judge of either himself. The man had destroyed so many lives and hers might be included because the closer to liberation she became, the more she could feel it, the more she realized she remained a prisoner. Because even when she closed her eyes at night, when she slipped into the dream world, she saw him violating her, taking until she had nothing left. She had awaken drenched in sweat many times, with at least Matt there to hold onto her as her heart struggled to return to its normal beat against his warm chest.

"What about you, you have a heart or a soul," she said, "You're just an evil man whose only purpose is to exploit the women you hate."

Andre shook his head.

"I don't hate…these women many of them would be slaves to someone anyway, someone much worse than me who doesn't make sure they are clothed and sheltered. Most of this world is a hostile environment for women to live in after all, in fact many women are killed at birth or even before simply for being female."

C.J. knew that took place in different countries where women struggled to survive in patriarchal societies but what he did was exchange one nightmare for another, to one that made him a wealthy and powerful man.

"Elena would be dead probably by now, a sex slave chained to a bed in a brothel somewhere, where the police are paid not to look if I hadn't saved her."

She sighed.

"That's no excuse for what you've done to me…to other women…to her sister Sierra just because she tried to escape…"

If he seemed surprised by her words, he didn't reveal it. His mouth became a grim line and his eyes bore into hers.

"She betrayed me…she tried to kill me thinking it would give her freedom," he said, "She was mistaken about that and paid the price."

C.J. just looked at him, knowing that Sierra had already paid the price a hundred times over during the time she had spent with him. They all had including the women who had washed up on shores after they had encountered him, or had tried to run away from him. The women who haunted her because somehow she had known…

Andre sighed.

"It's true that they're going to raid this place but they won't be here in time to save you. They won't even reach this part of the compound quickly enough."

She looked all around her, at the suite which resembled so much the one that she had seen when he had the guards bring her to him. At those times he had slept after and she had gotten up to look around, hoping she could find something, anything that would help her. When he lay with his back turned to her, she had wanted to reach out and kill him, with her hands if necessary but knew that she would never leave the compound alive if that happened and back then, by the time he had apparently trusted her enough to bring her in his own bed, her mind had been consumed with thoughts of escape.

"There's no escape for you," he said, "It appears that you'll be leaving with me if you'll leave at all."

She just stared at him.

"We have everything we need here…there's some food, wine and over there…"

She followed his eyes to his bed and she stepped backward.

"Oh no, you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you.."

He just shook his head patiently at her as if she were just being willful for show.

"You know who's in control here," he said, "And I will do with you what I want to do as it's always been…I will ask you once and then I'll take."

She shook her head.

"You let those men willingly enough into your bed," he said, "The ones I sent brought back a high degree of customer satisfaction."

The nausea threatened to overwhelm her again and he approached closer.

"I might decide to veto the Jaguar on this one," he said, "You're worth a lot of money you know…I could auction you off myself…a different night…a different man or men."

Now she could smell his cologne, and her stomach recoiled at the memory.

"Or I could keep you myself," he said, finally standing next to her, reaching out to cup her face in his hand, "Keep you in my best estates, dress you up in the nicest clothing…the perfect lady in the house and a whore in the bedroom."

"No…"

He stroked her face and her eyes widened. She wanted to push him away but her hands froze at her sides. How had she become so powerless, so quickly?

He rested his lower arms on the wall, holding her with them and his body that she hated so much. He whispered in her ear as he worked one of his hands beneath her shirt, the ring that bore his insignia scraping against her skin and one of his knees slowly nudging her legs apart, so his body could fit between them.

She just stood there frozen, a part of her turning off so automatically as it had done before when he had touched her, when she had felt him trying to find a way in to more than just her body.

But her mind resisted.

* * *

Jonathan looked at Sally.

"Where are we going here," he asked.

She sighed.

"This place is built to trick anyone who comes inside it," she said, "but we know Andre's going to find the most remote, securest part to hold up into if he gets cornered."

"And then he's going to be the most dangerous and if he's found C.J…"

Sally heard signs of life on the radio.

"It looked like they're coming in…"

Jonathan's heart lifted at that but a part of him asked, whether that would reduce the danger to those still inside or amp it up even higher.

* * *

Matt lay on the floor of a clearing just outside a patch of jungle and looked up at the silvery moonlight that still showed that dawn was some hours away. Men in green swirled around him and the others.

"What's going on here…who's this guy?"

Vince spoke up.

"He's a hostage that was taken by Andre," he said, "He's been badly wounded by a bullet wound and you have to be careful…"

A man stepped forward with a medical insignia on his shirt.

"We can handle any injuries," he said, "We've got a chopper to take him back to an island with a small hospital. That will have to do for now…"

Vince didn't budge.

"He needs the bullet taken out...and he's already lost a lot of blood."

The man knelt and gently felt around the bullet wound and nodded.

"What type is he?"

Vince tried to remember back to a time when Matt had donated a pint to give to one of his friends.

"A –"," Vince said, "I think."

"We'll double check to make sure," he said, "There's a good surgeon who's an expert on projectile removal. Your friend's in good hands…or he will be if we can get him in the chopper."

Three men reached down to pick up Matt and put him on a makeshift stretcher but he began to move.

"C.J…you've got to go get her," he said, "I'm not leaving until you do."

The man bent his face closer to Matt.

"Sir, you have to get moving or you're not going to make it."

Vince looked at Matt seeing the concern etched on his ashen face.

"They're going to find her," he said, "Jonathan and Sally are in the compound right now searching for her."

Matt's lips started moving again but the men had already began moving him towards the stretcher to evacuate him off of Sapphire Island.

Vince looked at Brady somberly.

"I didn't want to tell him…that Andre might have caught up with her…they'd never get him to a medic if that happened."

Brady nodded.

"We'll just have to hope for the best," he said, "that these commandos know how to do their job and they do it quick enough to help her."

* * *

C.J. felt like vomiting when his hand found her breast and squeezed it, before he rubbed it with his fingers.

"Come on, stop acting that way…You know I'm not going to hurt you unless it's necessary."

She turned her head away not wanting him to see her. Not hurt her, that's what had happened every time until her mind learned at least to protect itself but now…it had been a struggle to stop the depersonalization that threatened to sweep through her, the feeling that her mind was no longer a part of the body being used by someone else.

But she couldn't do that this time; she had to feel what was happening vividly enough, to fight back. Her muscles coursed with adrenalin but the fear…threatened to override it. And when his hands moved towards her pants, while he looked straight into her eyes, the only sound his soft breathing as she heard the sound of the zipper and his hands move to try to push her pants down over her hips, just enough. His own body responded, she could tell and a tear fell down her frozen cheek as he reached for his own pants.

"What about not handling someone else's merchandise," she said, the words spilling out.

He chuckled at that as he pressed closer.

"I'll compensate him for the usage most generously…and maybe he won't notice the difference."

And something about those callous words galvanized her body to do what it hadn't been able to do before, to shift into the mode that she needed to fight him. The one that Matt had taught her to use as a focal point to launch a counter offense.

"I want you to do it…you know what…"

She stared back into his eyes as her trembling hands reached towards him and he closed his eyes in anticipation, momentarily dropping his guard for just a fraction of time…all the time she needed, curling her scarred fingers tightly.

She rammed her balled fists into his solar plexus and his eyes opened at her in shock. He was too strong to go down from striking that vulnerable point but as his eyes focused on her; she saw a hint of disbelief behind his smug confidence.

"You…."

She braced for what he would call her showing a lack of control on his part and then she attacked.


	126. Chapter 126

Another update is up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

The men dressed in green placed Matt gently onto the helicopter to fly him to a hospital on a nearby island. He tried to struggle against the restraints that kept him on the stretcher during the short flight.

"Sir…you have to remain still," the man nearest to him ordered, "We're just getting you ready before we take off to the hospital."

"C.J…I have to go find her…"

The man shook his head.

"You've got to remain still…any sudden move and you could start bleeding out again and we might not be able to stop it in time…please if you want to live."

The tone of the man's voice finally reached Matt who had already started to fatigue from his struggle. He wanted nothing more than to get up and move under his own volition, to head back from the compound he had just been rescued from…the one where C.J. remained. What if Andre had found her, what if she had already been taken off the island to be flown to the man who had purchased her and she disappeared forever?

No, it would never come to that. Wherever they took her, he would find her if it took every dime of money he had and every ounce of energy within him, he would do whatever was needed to track her down and get her out of there. His mind already had become consumed with the desire, no the need to see her again. To look into her face, to touch her skin and hold her close to him. Had his window of opportunity to do that slipped away from him already?

He moved again and strong hands held him down.

"If you're determined to bleed to death I can't stop you Mr…Houston but I will make it as difficult as I can for you to succeed."

Matt relented physically but his mind…it had other ideas. His body just wouldn't obey what it wanted it to do. Helplessness filled him, his muscles felt the tension of the knowledge that he would be leaving without her.

"What…what…where am I going?"

The medic smiled and patted his shoulder.

"It's a small hospital but clean and with a very skilled staff particularly in the area of shall we say removing projectiles from people's bodies…for some reason there's a demand for that particular skill in these parts."

That didn't surprise Matt, after all he had been hanging out with a band of mercenaries who…

"The men who were with me…"

"They rescued you from the compound and all of them are doing fine," the medic said, "Although one of them…someone named Vince said you might try to leave the helicopter."

Matt grimaced.

"He's always been prone to hyperbole."

The medic sighed.

"Mr. Houston…I'm not going to lie to you. The flight might get a little rough…these islands are known for their turbulent air and your injury would have been much less serious if you would have sought medical help some hours ago."

Matt sighed.

"I was a bit tied up at the time," he said, "Try to explain that to the surgeon if you can?"

The medic smiled slightly as much as Matt figured he would in a situation like this one. He seemed efficient enough if a bit stern and Matt finally relaxed on the stretcher though his heart ached fiercely.

"Am I going to need surgery?"

The medic nodded.

"It's not that complicated," he said, "Besides, you must know that because I saw an older scar…what is it you do for a living again?"

Too complicated to explain with too little energy, Matt thought.

"Something that fortunately comes with a good insurance plan," he said.

The medic signaled to the pilot that they would be ready to take off and the chopper lifted off leaving the compound and the unfolding drama surrounding it behind.

* * *

Elena turned to her brother Antonio in a darkened hallway.

"What is it with you," she said, "I told you that I'm not leaving here without C.J."

Antonio stopped, crossing his arms.

"I still think this is foolish Elena," he said, "You could be putting your own life at risk."

She wrinkled her face.

"How so…the military outside is here to get the bad guys not us."

Antonio sighed.

"When they come in a rush Elena, they won't be separating between the two when they fire their guns. You could easily get hit by a bullet or if they throw explosives…"

She just shook off his concerns and kept walking, so sure she had known this compound as well as anyone but finding the meandering corridors and identical looking rooms confusing to her.

"We've got to keep looking…I'll keep looking if you'd rather leave," she said, "But I won't be going with you unless I find her."

"She could be anywhere…and so could he."

She turned down another corridor which looked like all the rest.

"I never realized how much they all looked alike," she said, "We could be walking around here and never get anywhere."

"They're designed like that to prevent escape…but also for situations like this one when the place is being raided…to give enough time for those inside to escape."

Elena just shook her head at him and any such logic because it wasn't until recently that she became aware that there had been any need to take those measures. Her eyes had been opened up to so much that had been happening in plain sight. Andre had kept her compartmentalized away from much of his real line of work but she felt she should have known sooner. Now was her chance to make up for that in a small way…and do what she could.

That thought dominated her mind as she followed by her brother continued on down into the vortex of the compound.

* * *

Jonathan and Sally had been looking around with guns drawn as other armored men proceeded through the structure which looked much larger and more formidable inside than it had outside. He figured that most everyone had left by now but most of those folks were currently being rounded up for arrest and detention either at the airstrip or the harbor where they had fled to leave the island.

"There's no one here," he said, "I'm guessing we just missed the final wave of the evacuation."

Sally just shrugged.

"We need to process this place like a grid and go through ever square foot of this place to be sure no one stayed behind."

Jonathan sighed.

"It looks like they tried to booby-trap the doors but they've got experts dismantling the explosives."

Sally sighed.

"Let's just hope they don't miss one," she said, "Maybe we should split up, we'll cover more ground that way."

Jonathan objected.

"Too dangerous…if one of us gets ambushed…"

Sally checked her gun again.

"No one's here to do that," she said, "and if there's stragglers, then we'll call for backup before we get them."

Jonathan still didn't like that plan but he couldn't really argue with her. There would be more armed forces coming in on the second wave of movement into the compound to seize it and any assets left behind. He figured the big players had been the first to leave and several had been quickly apprehended while trying to flee.

So he and Sally split up and went their separate directions, agreeing to keep in close contact.

* * *

Andre didn't see the punch that C.J. delivered coming, at least not the first one. She struck him in the face, nearly knocking him off of his feet She moved quickly to take advantage of his lapse from hitting him in the solar plexus. But Andre wasn't anything if not quick on his feet, a fully trained and honed fighter himself. He had to be to get where he stood now. He grabbed her and slammed her against the wall so quickly; she saw stars and felt the world go dark momentarily. No, she couldn't slip into unconsciousness or she wouldn't wake up. She knew that after looking into his eyes just then.

"So you want to play rough…," he said, "That's more exciting isn't it?"

He tried to rip at her top, succeeding in pulling it down over one shoulder and she focused her energy into her legs, kicking him hard, her foot hitting his leg which pushed him a few inches back from her. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, where he had her between him and the unyielding wall.

He forced her back and tried to force her legs apart with his own, grabbing at her shoulders but she maneuvered out of his grasp, pushed against him suddenly and slipped out from where he had imprisoned her. He turned on a pivot and grabbed her arm, and she reached to break his grip, willing herself to not panic, not to do anything rash that might hinder rather than help her fight him. His hold on her proved to be very strong and she tried to wrestle away from him by pulling her body away from him and she wound up knocking them both against the bed, but she pushed him off of it and onto the floor.

Not for long as he sprung to his feet and lunged towards her, she moved to the side and he fell on the bed and she put all of her weight on top of his back, where he lay awkwardly. That kept him from getting off of it and flinging her aside at least for now but she had to maximize her mass against his greater weight to stop her from taking that advantage.

If she could grab hold of him, get his neck between her hands or wrap her arm around him she knew she could snap it quickly before he saw it coming. The elation that filled her just at the idea of it overwhelmed her fear at least momentarily but both took a backseat to the jolt of pure adrenalin which flowed through her. If she could kill him, then he couldn't hurt her or any more women any longer, but he bucked up nearly tossing him off of him onto the floor. She grabbed at his neck to prevent that but couldn't get a tight enough hold on it.

She knew she couldn't pause for a second because as skilled in fighting as he was beginning when he must have learned it on the streets to survive as the son of a prostitute and a father who never claimed him. Even taking an extra breath…no she couldn't take any chances.

God, she didn't know if she could do this, if she could survive him let alone walk away from him lying dead on the floor. He had haunted her life for too many years, many more than she had ever suspected, every corner of her life had his scent on it. Even her relationships…she didn't know how many if he spoke the truth and wasn't just playing twisted mind games with her.

He gasped under her weight and she knew that the struggle had tired him but how much? No, she had to push harder, her weight against him until he couldn't move let alone get the upper hand. Just the way that Matt had taught her how to fight when she had gone to him to learn defensive tactics. He had been patient with her taking her through each step of the different moves but when it came to putting it all together, she had done that deftly enough that Matt had been impressed with her skills.

Her heart wanted to reach out to him…but it couldn't…not now…because one second would be all it would take for Andre to flip her off of him and have the physical advantages.

"You aren't strong enough…"

She grimaced, feeling the sting in her muscles, the tension in her back and shoulders and that part inside of her watching and wondering how long she'd last because hadn't that been his tactic with her? To let her push herself into exhaustion and then when she finally weakened to turn his own strength against her?

So she tried to relax and draw on her excess reserves and force him into the position of using up his own energy reserves. Her only way of getting through this and out of here.

Because yes she was strong enough.


	127. Chapter 127

Chapter 127 is up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

* * *

The helicopter hit turbulence and bounced around, while the medic leaned over where Matt lay on the stretcher.

"We'll be through it in a few minutes, don't worry."

Matt weakly arched a brow.

"Who's worried?"

The man leaned closer to him again and Matt felt a stinging jab in the crook of his elbow.

"Relax…it's just an IV I'm getting started…you've lost a lot of fluids along with that blood."

Matt grimaced.

"I'm about as relaxed as I'm going to get."

He sighed, trying not to breathe too deeply or too much because doing so, hurt his shoulder plenty. His mind filled with thoughts of her, the woman he had left behind on the island. Not by choice, it had been his damn friends Vince, Zeke and the others who had forced him to leave her, then these medics who whisked him into the helicopter and into the sky without much delay. He had been shot before, had nearly died and wound up in a convalescence hospital where someone had tried to finish the job there not to mention his other bullet wound in the shoulder from Marquis Duval's other son. Maybe he should tattoo their names on the respective bullet wounds so he could tell them apart, or so he thought when another pain jolted through his body.

"Sorry…just hit another air pocket…"

Matt knew all about them having flown a chopper himself in the military not to mention his personal one back in L.A. Back in his life even further away than the thousands of miles that lay between the city and where he lay know in a helicopter being flown to a life-saving hospital.

"We're almost there…it's just ahead…"

The medic fiddled with the compress on his shoulder to make sure it remained tightly bound against his injury. So far it hadn't started bleeding again and that meant that his life hadn't tipped closer towards death…if his luck could just hold out. It had to because he had every intention of surviving

The medic looked at him again.

"When we land…we're going to get you right off this chopper and into the trauma center where they'll evaluate your injury and prepare you for immediate surgery….have you eaten or drunk anything today?"

Matt shook his head.

"I was a prisoner not a dinner guest."

The medic nodded.

"Okay, any allergies to medication or anything else?"

Matt shook his head.

"Any other medical conditions, any medication being taken?"

"No…"

The medic nodded.

"Then it should be easy enough," he said, patting his healthy shoulder, "You're going to be all right."

Matt sighed.

"Of course I am, I have to be," he said, "because she needs me."

The helicopter began to prepare its descent onto the makeshift helipad on top of the small building that served as the medical center for the region. And when it brushed down, kicking up dust and the sounds of the rotor blades splitting the air, the medic did as he promised Matt and he and others got him out of the helicopter rushing him through the double doors, the clock ticking.

Matt closed his eyes, weariness pulling at him and told himself, _when I wake up, I'll come and find you…_

_

* * *

_

C.J. pushed at Andre when he tried to grab her again, reminding herself over and over again that his intent had been to tire her out before utilizing his own strength against her. Not that the struggle hadn't marked him, as his clothes were tousled and his face drawn, his breath coming harder but he still proved to be relentless and she didn't know how much longer she could fight him.

But she had to, not having any choice. The alternative was to be his prisoner again and she had no intention of doing that, ever part of her resisted that and her body tensed again into the fighting position. As much as it could against one of the strongest men she had ever known, a man who had honed his skills and built his body into a fighting machine from the cradle.

What kind of childhood her rapist had, she didn't know. She had rummaged through his desk drawers once after he had fallen asleep leaving her alone in his suite. She had found worn photos of a woman with long dark hair, expressive hazel eyes and a slender build. Her eyes had widened as she held the photo in her hand examining it, because she had seen this woman hundreds of times. Through composite drawings and photos published in different newspapers every time a woman with an identity had turned up missing and every time a woman without one had washed up on shore.

Not to mention when she looked in her own mirror.

Who had this woman been in life and what had she meant to the man who hid her picture inside a desk? There hadn't been any photos of Marquis Duval sr or his namesake, or even Andre as a child.

In fact there weren't any photos of him at all until he had been in university and graduate school and then at various business and social functions. He had resembled the mysterious woman in the photo more than his father.

She had heard him stirring in the bed where he had taken her and had slammed the drawer shut heading back to him, her mind filled with questions.

Questions that might never be answered.

She slammed a fist into his chest but he deflected it easily.

"You can't get away from here," he said, his breath uneven, "or from me."

She responded to his challenge by hitting him again but he grabbed her wrists and tried to wrestle her back on the ground. She fought back but he wrapped his foot around her leg and flung her down. She nearly blacked out from the impact and he pressed his weight against her again, which she felt squeeze the air out of her lungs. Instinct made her try to wrestle him off of her but she couldn't budge him.

So she brought her head up sharply instead, striking him on the face. If she were lucky enough, she might break his nose. A sharp intake of breath and a crunching sound rewarded her action.

"You…."

He automatically reached up to check his face and she took advantage to push him off of her. Then she sprung to her feet and began kicking him, hoping one of the blows might knock him out so she could get away. Each blow elicited a gasp of pain from him, each one leaving her feeling elation flood through her which fed the next kick. She knew she was hurting him and the thrill of doing that rushed through her threatening to consume her. No, she had to concentrate on getting away from him.

But she kept kicking him as hard as she could as he tried to shield himself from her blows.

Then suddenly she heard a sound at the door as if someone were trying to get in and that caught her attention enough…the next second she hit the ground with a thud and Andre had used that lapse of her concentration to take the advantage again.

In a struggle that she knew now would be for more than freedom, it would be for her life.

* * *

Elena looked up at Antonio, after they had decided to try one of four corridors they had faced at a juncture in this labyrinth that Andre had built.

"Are you sure it's this one," he had asked.

Elena had thought so and about where that certainty had come from but not for long. '

"Come this way," she said, grabbing his arm.

They had come to a door at the end of the hallway and had heard the sounds of a struggle behind it. Then they had struggled to open it but it was locked tight. She turned to her brother.

"I know she's in here," she said, "I think he is too…this is one of his suites."

"Any other way inside…?"

Elena furrowed her brow in concentration then shook her head.

"There's word that a secret room exists inside their, but no outside exit," she said, "there's a balcony that looks over a beach but no way out."

Antonio nodded, part of him wanting to just grab Elena's arm and move in the opposite direction to just get her out quickly. He knew she would have no part of it and a stubborn Elena was proving to be more than he could handle so he sighed and tried to figure out how to open the locked door.

"It's tight," he said, "Andre must have it bolted on the other side."

Elena pursed her lip and thought quickly, then pulled out a chain of keys. Antonio looked at it, eyes widening.

"Do all those…"

She nodded.

"There's one for most any locked door in this place," she said, "I don't know if I have the right one but if I can find one close enough…"

It was a long shot and it might not prove to be enough but Elena didn't think much about the odds, she just started trying out keys, one after the other in hopes…

That one might fit and turn the lock. Antonio watched his sister in awe, the one who had been a little girl when he left for the village for the military and who had grown up miles away while he had been gone. He had taken off looking for her after learning what his parents had done and had sworn he would never give up…until he found her. After they got out of here they would figure out what type of life to build together…as a family. It didn't matter where they went or ultimately lived as long as they had each other.

Any minute now that dream could slip away…because if Andre were on the other side of the door, what would he do when he saw them? He knew that Andre wouldn't harm Elena but if they were going to get C.J. and his sister seemed determined to do that then what would happen? Andre would hardly allow C.J. to leave with them as bound and determined as he had been to hold onto her. Had Elena even thought that far? As her brother, he had to do that to protect her.

And that meant killing Andre…the man who had after all killed Sierra his other sister and Elena's too. He balled his fists at his side and knew he could do that easily enough…in his mind but Andre had better fighting skills than anyone he had ever encountered.

Still Elena didn't give up, replacing one failed key with another as she worked her way through the chain of them…one of them had to work, it just had to, she told herself as she kept trying.

* * *

Sally walked down the corridor smoothly keeping in touch with Jonathan who hadn't encountered anyone yet. The compound had grown eerily silent except for the perimeters that had been overrun with commandos, moving through the structure section by section.

She had perused several rooms as she proceeded but had found them empty. She thought Jonathan was right, that most if not all the parties had left. But they had to be absolutely sure as they secured the compound for further investigation by the relevant federal authorities including the U.S. Marshal's office which employed both of them. She liked Jonathan, respected his professionalism and his thoroughness, which had been matched by a determination that she hadn't encountered often. But she didn't know much about him or his life outside the agency and he knew even less about her. Just as well because he had formed a tight relationship with Brad, the other agent on their team and look what had happened.

Sally could only imagine what it must have been like for Jonathan to be forced to shoot and kill his long-time partner to save a scumbag like Scott Prescow, to keep him alive long enough to be useful to the feds. But Scott really had deserved the bullet because if a man like him betrayed one side, he would easily betray another.

Not her, she had her loyalties carefully in check and knew who she worked alongside and who she trusted. And she knew who owned her loyalties, so no complications, no ambiguities for her. At all times, she told herself each time she did an assignment and reported back to her superior.

She reached the last room in the corridor and saw the door ajar. She braced her gun against her side, in preparation to defend herself if attacked before cautiously approaching the doorway. She looked inside but no one attacked her, instead she saw a man lying on the bed, his face ashen as he held a blood soaked clothe to what looked like a puncture wound.

The man turned his face to look at her with an amazing pair of blue eyes, the shade of the Caribbean Sea where it washed onto Sapphire Island. He studied her.

"Who are you….thank god, this woman, she attacked me and tried to kill me."

Sally stepped closer, tilting her face to take him in, then she pulled up her sleeve and when he saw her shoulder, his eyes widened.

"You…did he send you to help me?"

She shook her head and smiled.

"No he sent me in to give you this message…"

The man waited expectantly, believing that the worse was over but she didn't finish her statement with words. Instead she raised her handgun, aiming it down at his chest and pulled the trigger.

Twice.

He sagged back against the bed, bleeding now from three wounds but only for a few seconds longer.

She sighed, and said quietly.

"You've been paid in full."

Then she turned around and walked out of the room, leaving him there. She quickly pulled out her phone but not to call Jonathan. She clicked the buttons and then put it to her ear.

"I'm calling to report that my assignment is done…Sasha."

She clicked the phone off and continued down the corridor.


	128. Chapter 128

Somehow in the state of deep unconsciousness, Matt remembered the life that he had left behind, the one that awaited him if he survived the surgery. He had been lying on the damp pavement holding his hand to his shoulder as blood spilled through his fingers onto the ground. Vince had just hauled away a very smug looking Marquis Duval Jr. after Matt had identified him as the man who had nearly taken out the senator. An ambulance had been called to take Matt to the hospital and while he waited, he thought about where he had left C.J. and in an instant, she was kneeling beside him, concern etched across her face.

"Did Vince call them?"

Matt nodded weakly, fighting to remain conscious. She nodded and then stroked his face telling him that everything would be just fine. He hadn't wanted to close his eyes because he hadn't known how badly he'd been hurt but he finally did and her voice was the last thing that he heard.

She had been there by his bedside when he woke up, handing him some cool water to sip carefully to ease his parched mouth, as the doctor had encouraged him to take fluids. His shoulder had ached from where they had removed the bullet and he knew he faced a couple months of recovery and rehabilitation ahead but all he could think of was how relieved he had been when he opened his eyes and saw her there.

But this time he had been forced to leave her and she hadn't been there when they brought him to the helicopter. She hadn't been at the hospital when he arrived and now in some sort of limbo, he remembered that she had been trying to help him. But what had happened to her? When he tried to find her, he discovered himself to be restrained, almost as if he were tied down. He knew his eyes were closed, waiting to be reopened and when he did, if she weren't there…fear filled him, penetrating even in his state of deep sleep.

He lay unconscious on the operating table while two surgeons joined by a surgical team worked on removing the bullet, cleaning the injury and then patching him up again. Nothing that he hadn't experienced before when he crossed into the path of a bullet, but his mind remained on her.

"Quite a bit of damage," one surgeon said, "but nothing that can't be repaired."

"This man's seen more than his share of bullet wounds," a nurse remarked, "A soldier?"

"A private investigator if you can believe that," the surgeon said, "though that doesn't explain what he was doing in the middle of a major bust on Sapphire Island."

The nurse shook her head.

"It's about time they cracked down on that place," she said, "It's become a haven for criminals because the government's too morally bankrupt not to take their hush money."

"Well the military's there now," he said, "I heard it on the news. I guess the feds from the U.S. called them out but it's the military's show and we might be getting more bodies here."

Matt heard their conversation in whispers somewhere deep inside himself. He had seen the men in green carrying weaponry showing up and in fact, several had taken his stretcher. They had been about to launch an offensive against Andre's compound with C.J. still inside. Caught between them and the man who had terrorized her but Antonio and Elena might be there too, unless they had already left. He of course was helpless to do anything but imagine what was happening miles away on another island.

Far away from where he wanted to be.

* * *

C.J. struggled for air when Andre pushed his forearm against her throat cutting it off. She knew as long as he did that, the weaker that she would become because she needed oxygen to fuel her fighting. Pushing against him exacted its own cost and he pushed down even harder.

"You're not getting away this time…"

Her vision appeared blurred but she saw the blood on his face, heard the gasps of his own breath. That emboldened her to keep pushing against him even as her own energy began to flag again. She had been moving on pure adrenalin to try to save her life but its supply wasn't endless. Where did all his strength come from? A lifetime filled with bitterness and hate, of women just like her?

"Then you won't either…"

She sounded calm to herself even though her heart thudded inside her chest and her muscles cramped. The pain to her throat nearly made her black out but she pushed that sensation away. To close her eyes would be to never open them again, because he meant to kill her. It would come easy to him as he had done it many times before, looked down into the eyes of the women who had turned up after being washed onshore.

"It didn't have to be this way," he said, "I told you that first night that fighting me was useless."

He had shown her too, and that lesson had stuck, the cold realization that she could fight as hard against him with everything she had inside of her and that hadn't been enough to stop him. She had lain there gasping for breath pinned beneath him feeling him force her legs apart and helpless to stop him, just removing herself from what he did, some place far, far away.

But she forced herself to focus on the here and now, and the realization that to grab her life back, she had to end his own.

Elena concentrated on the task before her, to try to find the right key to open the door to the suite, one of those that had been used by Andre since they had been here. Antonio waited breathlessly behind her, telling her to hurry and she finally told him that she was doing her best.

"I hear a struggle inside," Antonio said, "He's going to kill her."

"Not if I can stop it," Elena said, substituting one key with another.

Antonio looked around him.

"At least no one's coming down here," he said, "Though I'm sure the military's moved in by now."

* * *

Elena couldn't do anything about that so she just concentrated on what she could do which was find a way into the suite so they could help C.J. And it had dawned on her that they might have to kill her half brother in order to do that, but she hoped that somehow, it wouldn't come to that. Maybe she could find some way, some words to persuade him to let her go. Maybe she was the only person who could do that. After all, he had saved her life, saved her from the fate experienced by C.J. and other women. He must care about her, maybe enough to listen to her. Even with all the evil he had done, she didn't want him dead, and if the military came back while he was harming his captive, that's what would happen.

"You can't talk him out of it Elena…"

She sighed.

"I might be able to…besides we don't know if I don't try."

"He's a ruthless killer and he's damaged so many women."

Elena knew that and it tore her up inside, but she knew that her brother loved her too at least as much as he could ever love anyone.

"He's my brother…as much as you and I have to do what I can," she said.

"Then you put your own life at risk," he said, "and I don't want to lose the sister I've spent years trying to find."

"You're not going to lose me Antonio," Elena said, "We're all going to get out of this. I know my brother's going to prison for a long time but it's better than being dead."

"Not to men like him," Antonio said, "I think he'd rather be dead than locked up."

Elena refused to believe that but she had only known the part of her brother he had allowed her to see, which wasn't very much at all.

"Most of his family is rotting away in prison," Antonio continued, "His father's near death, his younger brother's not doing well either and he's seen what it's done to them."

"You don't know that…"

"Yes I do…and he knows his father wouldn't bear it if the last Duval were in prison for the rest of his life like the rest of them."

"But…"

"Focus on helping C.J. if you must help someone Elena," he said, "She's not got much of a life left after what he's done to her but it's more than he'll have."

Elena just digested her brother's words and kept working.

* * *

Sally crept down the hallway after notifying her handler that she had killed him, the man who threatened to betray their operation. Now when the feds and military found him, they wouldn't get anything out of him. Someone most likely the woman that he had been assigned to retrieve had obviously done a number on him leaving Sally to clean up the mess.

Something she happened to be quite good at, nearly as much so as infiltrating a role that had been assigned to her, she had been a struggling actress in London after leaving the Ukraine after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. That's where a woman named Sasha had found her and had taken her under her wing, told her that if she continued to hone her acting talent, there were far better paying jobs than those found in front of a camera or on stage.

And Sasha had been right.

She tucked her gun in her holster and then alerted Jonathan and within a few moments, he showed up, his gun still drawn and she pointed to the room down the corridor.

"I found one of them in there," she said, "I think your witness attacked him with some sharp object because he was injured when I encountered him."

"What happened to him, is he still injured?"

She shook her head.

"No he's dead," she said, "He had been stabbed but his hand moved like he was reaching for something…possibly a weapon and I shot him. He's dead."

Jonathan frowned.

"Did he have a weapon?"

"Negative…but I'm sure the shooting board will rule it justified."

Jonathan agreed, as that most often had been the case as agents in dangerous assignments like this one were often given the benefit of the doubt.

"I'll tell someone to go look in on him," he said, "Process the scene once we've secured this building."

She nodded.

"We've still got some other corridors to check before we can be sure of that."

The two of them together walked down the hallway.

* * *

C.J. saw her world go grey and knew she was losing this fight. One she had been fighting for months, since the men had kidnapped her inside the parking garage.

"Had enough," he asked pressure still on her throat.

Her eyes stung and she tried to will the pain away. She had to get away, she so much didn't want to die here. Not beneath the man that she despised who had already taken so much from her. She tried to control her rapid breathing, to slow it down so that the tingling would cease inside her head.

Inside her mind's eye, she suddenly saw the little girl, with the curly dark hair and those familiar eyes. Not like her own but someone else's. This vision had appeared whenever her life had been in jeopardy.

Only now she saw the little girl inside a crib, surrounded by stuffed frogs and horses, instead of teddy bears and dolls. She saw herself standing there, reaching down to pick up her daughter. Because that's who this little girl was, she knew now, the daughter she would be hers someday.

"Dada…"

She saw herself chuckling at the girl who wiggled in her arms who wanted to be set on the floor so she could find him. The man who told her bedtime stories and took her fishing and on long walks, who loved her so much and the man that C.J. had fallen so hopelessly in love with. Or so she thought until they really had found one another.

C.J. grabbed hold of her little girl's hand.

"Come on, let's go find him…Gracie"

Her eyes filled with tears at the emotions that swam from what she saw and experienced as if it were happening now. The vision faded away as did her daughter's laughter. Because the reality of it might disappear too if Andre succeeded in what he had planned.

Somewhere she knew she had to find the strength to stop him because more than her own life was at stake.


	129. Chapter 129

Roy turned towards Chris who gazed at him, a worried expression on her face. They had been sitting in the conference room of Houston Enterprises back in Texas waiting for Murray to come in to start a business meeting when the phone call had arrived.

From a hospital located on some populated island in the Caribbean Sea, with news about Matt.

They had been awaiting a phone call of some kind, from someone to give them the final score of what had happened to the people they loved who had engaged in some confrontation to finish what an evil man had started years ago. And they had braced themselves for the possibility it might be bad news, even as they tried to tell themselves that Matt and C.J. would be returning soon putting this nightmare behind them. But in the past day or so nothing…not even from Rhonda who had after all, snuck aboard a plane and flown down there to Sapphire Island with Scott.

It seemed like a lifetime ago the last time Chris and Roy had seen their loved ones. They tried not to worry about them, to live their own lives, to keep the conglomerate running the way it needed to be but inside, they found it hard to forget.

Then the call had come that Matt was undergoing surgery for a bullet wound in some hospital after being flown by helicopter from some kind of situation that had erupted at Andre's compound. When Roy had asked about news on C.J. no one had been able to tell him anything at all. She certainly hadn't been at the hospital with Matt and Roy and Chris knew that it would take an awful lot to stop her from being at Matt's side when he needed her.

So what had happened down there that left Matt wounded and her unaccounted for? Both Roy and Chris wished they could take one of the Houston jets to go down there to see to Matt and to get their answers but it would take some hours to get ready, and by then they might get more news.

"It didn't sound serious," Roy said, "The injury only became a problem because Matt wasn't near a hospital and lost a lot of blood…but he's been stabilized and the surgery itself went smoothly."

Chris sighed.

"It's not like he's never been shot before," she said, ruefully, "It's been part of his job since he started the agency."

Roy agreed.

"Nothing can keep him down for long…but I hope C.J.'s there by the time he wakes up because if not…he'll leave the hospital to go find her."

* * *

C.J. pushed against Andre…and this time she felt as she had more energy than what had ebbed out of her earlier. As if…no she just knew she had to get away…and maybe another adrenalin rush had been coming.

"It's not going to help you," she heard him say even as he fought for breath.

She pushed even harder, to try to get him to loosen the pressure of his arm against her neck. If she didn't, then he might succeed in cutting off her ability to take in oxygen. The tingling inside of her increased and she felt parts of her grow numb. That almost made her panic, which she didn't want because if she did, she might give up and she couldn't ever do that, not while she still held onto life, even tenuously.

There had been times when she wished he had killed her. When if he had the mind to do so, she wouldn't have put up a fight, not when he had taken almost all she had from her.

After she had watched him execute Fernando after she had done what she thought she would never do to stop him. She freed her hand from beneath his body and she tried to scratch his face, to hit him in a sensitive spot like an eye but she couldn't see, her vision had started to fade again, when he increased the pressure. So she probed with instinct and her fingers caught his mouth, his mustache…only a little higher and…he struggled to move his head away from her to stop her…but she fought back. She reached up with her hand again and one of her curled fingers struck him in one of his eyes…that had an immediate effect of him trying to force that hand down again. But she pressed into the softness of his eye even further.

She had tried to do that the first night he had taken her on that floor…but then he had grabbed her wrist and held it until he had finished. But now, she stopped him from doing that and she pressed until she heard him gasp, and then a sharp sound which indicated pain. He relaxed momentarily on top of her and she knew in this split second…she had to…before he caught the breath the sudden jolt of pain had stolen from him.

So she gave it the hardest push she could, relying on her core muscles which she had spent weeks working on at the island. All that running, mountain climbing and strength work, the days spent on the fishing boats and she flipped him off of her finally. She rolled up as quickly as she could, even as her own breathing hadn't caught up with her. Her muscles complained and her head throbbed but as she struggled with him, trying to get the advantage, she heard the door moving and knew that someone was trying to get in.

Good or evil, she didn't know that. Was it someone who might be able to help her incapacitate Andre before he killed her or would the person instead help him end her life? She couldn't dwell on that, she had to stop the man who had been hurting her for too long. The man who hurt Matt, might have killed him for all she knew. That realization spurred her on further and she funneled her strength into what she had to do.

The door rattled further.

"C.J….are you in here," a voice said.

Antonio, she realized, knowing that this knowledge did nothing to predict her chances of survival. After all, the guy changed loyalties on a dime. Did his presence here mean Elena had escaped or was she with him? C.J. had hoped that the young woman would have left this place to find safety.

"We're trying to get in…"

Now both C.J. and Andre stilled at the sound of that voice.

"Elena…"

C.J. looked down at Andre as he tried to call for her.

"She doesn't answer to you anymore…"

Andre gritted his teeth and tried to throw her down on her back but she certainly wasn't willing. She clenched a hand into a fist and started to strike at his face, which had begun to bruise around the eye that she had obviously damaged. Her blows against him were energized and fueled by emotions deep inside of her as the door began to rattle, not that she heard it so deeply focused on hurting him.

* * *

Antonio looked at Elena.

"How many left…"

She held out the bundle.

"Only a few…one of these should work…

He nodded.

"Hurry…"

She tried to do that but dropped the keys and then had to pick them up again, as sweat dripped off of both of them. The power had been turned off and so had the air conditioning. The air began to swelter from the jungle and Elena had to wipe her eyes to keep them clear.

"I think I might have it…"

She stuck a key in the lock and it stuck but began to turn the lock slightly. She leaned into it to apply more pressure as Antonio urged her to hurry.

* * *

Matt stood in the middle of the garden, the one he knew from past dreams and the flowers carpeted the fertile ground in different hues as far as the eye could see. The air had fallen still where before it had been filled with the songs of unseen birds. He knew that life awaited him that he should embrace it but he still searched for her in the shadows. For he could not leave without her, and he would continue looking for her, as long as necessary.

A dark haired woman with soft brown eyes stood there too looking at him and he felt the love emanate from her towards him. Almost overwhelmed by it, he took a step backward, not looking where his foot landed behind him.

"No…don't be afraid, but you cannot stay," the woman said, "This isn't your world."

"I'm looking for someone…I can't leave…"

The woman nodded.

"I know but you have to trust in yourself and in her…that she'll be back there waiting in your world."

Matt felt the reassurance of her soft words but doubt filled him.

"I can't see her…she's with him."

And he knew the woman understood what he meant…that just like he had spent most of his adulthood hiding from his own nightmare man, the criminal who had abducted him as a young boy for ransom, she had her own demon to face. That he couldn't rescue her from him, or release his hold on her that had lasted for nearly a decade. Only she could free herself and find her own way back to where she needed to be. He knew he had to be there waiting for her…because they had a journey they were to take together. She needed him even more then than she had earlier. Because her most difficult challenge that she faced lay within herself as she tried to piece the wounded parts of her identity back together.

The woman had been aware of these realizations as soon as he made them and she smiled at him when he looked back up at her.

"Go now…you know what you must do…what awaits…"

He didn't want to leave her because inside him, he sensed who she might have been to him had she lived. But if she had lived, then his own life never would have been and she had made her own choice.

So he said goodbye to her without words and headed towards the worn trail leading him away from the garden…

* * *

The surgeon looked at his patient lying peacefully in recovery; his shoulder heavily bandaged and thought that it had been a close call. Much more so than it should have been but he supposed the circumstances couldn't be helped, that this man had been caught into the middle of an explosive situation. One no doubt that would be dominating the news coverage on television soon enough, one more chapter in violence that had plagued Sapphire Island since it had become a haven for some of the world's most amoral criminals. As a surgeon for over 20 years, he had patched up enough bullet wounds and shrapnel injuries…and learned not to ask too many questions. He gestured to one of the surgical residents who had helped him, who was undergoing his own test of fire at working in one of the region's most unlikely volatile zones. Hopefully, the presence of the military and federal agents from the States would clean up the riff-raff, one could hope.

"I need you to keep a careful eye on this man for complications," the surgeon said, "and call me if any arise."

The resident nodded and the weary surgeon left the room, pulling his mask off as he departed.


	130. Chapter 130

Rhonda waited inside the abandoned church where she had gone after Jonathan had left with the others. Where she had sat in one of the pews and began her long wait for him to return. Hopefully with Matt and C.J. and the others back and safe again…but it had been a long time she had spent here already. Completely cut off from any news of what might be happening some miles away. She had heard a train of vehicles driving by quickly and she had thought about leaving and walking to the nearby harbor where she thought some of Andre's people might be fleeing.

But she remained where she was remembering Jonathan's words to be careful because he had no idea what would be going down and how much of Sapphire Island would get caught up in any enforcement action. Bringing someone down like Andre wouldn't be done quickly or easily…and this might only be the beginning. Still with the passing hours which she knew passed even though she didn't check her watch much wore on her. She had tried to sleep a little when it had gone quiet around her but the pews were hard and her mind kept racing…with all the what ifs that traveled through her mind…what if people were injured or killed …what if Jonathan were one of them?

She sighed and got up and started pacing again. She had tried to call the folks back in Houston but the phone had been giving her problems due to reception for some reason.

No news had to be good news right or so she asked herself over and over mostly as a means of reassurance. This whole thing had been a nightmare mostly for her friends. She had lived a hard life herself since she was little, had faced abusive relationships with her father and with men in her life, had battled alcoholism that had been bad enough so she blacked out often only resurfacing after benders. When she had crossed paths with C.J. in the dusty backwoods of the Arizonan desert, she had just been turning her life around; she had stopped drinking and crashing in unfamiliar places.

C.J. hadn't known who the hell she was, where she had come from or even her name. At first, Rhonda had believed that she had been drunk and kicked around by some man, maybe a husband and C.J. didn't know enough to disagree. She had offered to take her to dinner on her dime partly because she knew that C.J. had come from money but mostly because she saw something of herself in the confused young woman. She found herself really wanting to help her even as she told herself she could get something out of meeting this woman's wealthy friends.

Rhonda had never considered herself a kind woman who cared about other people because no one had ever shown her like. But she hadn't ever seen true devotion by one person towards another until Matt had shown up dressed like one of Butz' crooked deputies and had single handedly shot and punched his way until bringing the operation down even before the Calvary as he called it arrived. She had known without thinking that the dark haired man who ran down the cowardly sheriff when he tried to flee had been the friend that C.J. had somehow remembered even through the fog of amnesia. The one who had been sitting by her bed, after saving her life then…and he had returned to save it once again and wound up freeing a bunch of women he had never met.

She had viewed the whole thing as a wakeup, being kidnapped and forced by corrupt police into prostitution and then…fortunately having the party broken up before it got any worse. Not knowing what to do with her life, she had wound up in Houston, moved into a cottage owned by Matt and started working on his women's foundation with Chris and Fran who had tagged along.

Suddenly her phone rang…she reached into her purse for it, not believing it and looked to see that it was Chris.

"Hi…where are you?"

"Roy and I have been at the office," Chris said, "Where are you holing up?"

"I'm at an abandoned church..now…Jonathan hasn't come back or called me…they still must be raiding the place or something…I've heard vehicles outside here go to the harbor."

She heard Chris sigh on the other end.

"Matt's been shot…"

Rhonda's heart nearly stopped.

"Oh my god…how…"

"The hospital called…it's not serious…but he lost a lot of blood and is still unconscious after surgery…"

"What hospital…there's none here."

"He was flown by chopper to another island nearby that has a trauma center. But no news on C.J…she certainly wasn't with him and nothing on Jonathan."

Rhonda ran her hand through her hair.

"Damn…it's been so hard sitting on my hands here with no updates from anyone…"

Chris sighed.

"We're thinking of flying to the island with the hospital as soon as one of the company jets can be prepped at Houston International."

"Will they be able to land there?"

"We'll get the paperwork done and a flight plan," Chris said, "These jets can land anywhere. Matt and C.J. have won sitting somewhere that they flew out of here on months ago."

Rhonda remembered hearing about that.

"They were getting ready to ship that traitor Scott to protective custody in Miami but I don't know if he's left yet."

"They better get him out of the Caribbean before Matt wakes up…"

Rhonda knew that. She knew from the time she met him how he felt about C.J. so no, it wouldn't surprise her even if he were in the hospital. But hopefully she would have escaped before he discovered she might be still missing.

* * *

C.J. felt tired down to her marrow because she had been struggling with a man who had been stronger and faster than her, and a much better fighter. But she knew she had to get away from him or die trying…or better yet take him out. She had struck at his face, and she knew she had bruised it but he seemed resistant to any major issue. Yet every time she could get a blow in, she struck him, over and over. But he had grabbed one of her hands so she had struck with the other one.

And behind her, the door rattled. She heard it but couldn't do anything to respond, because she was in the fight for her life and Andre had succeeded in trying to cut her airflow off or at least severely limit it. Her throat must be bruised by the pressure but the pain hadn't hit her. She bucked her body up against him again and again but he proved to be too heavy for her. Damn, wouldn't Andre ever show any sign of weakness but then after living a life where even the littlest bit of vulnerability could kill him, she knew he had learned how to close that part of himself off.

"It's no good…you can't win…"

She pretended she hadn't heard him say that because she had every intention of winning this fight. But it might take every ounce of strength she had…and she didn't have much left. A vision flashed in front of her of Matt and she didn't know if that meant he was still alive or if he had died. She would never know the answer unless she lived to find it.

"Get off of me…"

She gritted her teeth when she said it, and she pushed at him again while he tried to press his arm further against her throat.

"Not while you're alive…"

She kept pushing and punching at him.

* * *

Jonathan and Sally searched room to room, from one corridor to the next but the compound seemed mostly deserted. The commando team had sent in men to check out the man that Sally had reported and the two of them had kept moving forward.

"I don't think anyone's left," she said, "but we'd better make sure."

"Andre might still be here…and that dead man…he worked for a well known trafficker in East Europe called the Jaguar."

Sally furrowed her brow.

"Didn't know that…but I heard of him."

Jonathan sighed.

"Interpol has been trying to find him for a long time but no one knows what his cover is," he said, "Maybe that man could have told us if he had lived."

Sally looked at him.

"He didn't leave me any choice," she said, "and I had authorization to use lethal force if necessary."

"I know that…it would just be great to have any clues about who he might be…because from what I heard…he's worse than Andre if that's possible."

"It's very possible…"

"Well one day, we're going to nail all of them including this Jaguar guy and the world will be a little bit safer."

She smiled.

"A little bit."

"It's so damn scary how these traffickers are able to extend their poisonous tentacles everywhere around the globe. They know no bounds…even inside law enforcement agencies."

She looked soberly at him.

"Yes…Brad…and your ex-supervisor, it can be so difficult to find good agents that don't go turncoat."

"I wasn't naïve about this job but I never thought we'd have that problem," Jonathan said, "Hopefully we got all of them."

Sally nodded.

"I hope so too."

They continued searching each room down the corridor for any one left behind from the evacuation that had preceded the raid on the compound.

* * *

Elena looked at Antonio.

"Any luck…?"

He pushed on the door and thought he heard something.

"It might be opening…"

He pushed harder and it seemed to be caught on something.

"Come on…come on…there's not much time…"

Antonio heard the urgency in his sister's voice.

"I'm trying…"

* * *

C.J. had enough energy left to push hard one more time…if it didn't work, she might not get another chance and then…no she had to fight…and…so she pushed hard, gritting her teeth after swinging another blow and this time, disbelief almost filled her as he fell off of her onto his back. She sprung to her feet, wobbly as her legs felt and she leapt towards the dresser. Andre got on his feet, not as steady as he had been earlier and she saw that she had bruised him. She searched for something, anything she could use as a weapon as he approached again.

But she couldn't find anything, all she had was herself.


	131. Chapter 131

C.J. reached for anything she could find now that Andre had gotten on his feet, staring at her. He didn't appear as formidable now, because she had hurt him in the struggle for her life, made him feel pain and that made her feel good.

She wanted him to hurt…she wanted him dead.

He lurched towards her and she felt behind her and found a picture frame, heavy and with sharp corners made of some metal. She didn't even pause to see the photo before swinging at him when he came towards her.

She struck him in the face, and a gash opened up below one eye…she had just missed hitting it directly…and blood flowed down his face.

"You bitch…"

He lunged towards her and she pushed at him, hitting him with the frame again as the glass over the photo shattered, cutting him further on his face. He moved his hands up to protect himself and she hit his hands.

Falling on the ground, he couldn't ward himself from her kicks to his torso, his back, she struck him with every bit of rage inside her, the pain he had ripped from her, the ice-cold fear just the scent of his cologne made her feel…she kicked him over and over.

She heard the door rattle and she turned and at that point, he grabbed her and threw her on the ground, trying to get the advantage, pinning her more with weight than any force…as his strength ebbed out of him with his blood. She turned towards him, still driven by anger and he grabbed a shard of glass in his hand and whipped it across her forehead just above her eyebrow and cut into the network of white lines already embedded there.

A sharp pain shot through her head but she pushed it away and focused on trying to rid the world of him…of one despicable man who had killed women and stolen from them including their souls.

Then the door burst open and Antonio burst in followed by Elena and saw what was going on…and without thinking, Antonio raced to Andre and grabbed him up by his collar…dragging him off of C.J. who struggled to sit up. The men struggled as if Andre's strength had been renewed seeing Antonio now turning on him.

"All this to…to save a whore…"

Antonio tried to choke the life out of the man who had taught him how to do that. But Andre had honed his skills enough through fighting for survival since birth that he fought back and the two men stumbled across the floor of the bedroom.

C.J. sat there her face bleeding beside Elena who crouched beside her and watched…waiting to see who could win the fight for much more than her freedom.

But for there to be less evil in the world.

* * *

Matt woke up inside and immediately felt the grittiness in his eyes and the scorching pain in his throat…his vision saw dimness and a shadow maybe but he felt groggy mostly and his experience had taught him that he was inside a hospital.

He sensed he had been in surgery possibly for hours for what felt like a bullet wound…another scar to add to the map of them on his body. He sensed a woman standing near him…and he had remembered when he had been lying in an unfamiliar bed while a woman who turned out to be a widow named Serena had soaked a rag in cool water and placed it on his feverish brow.

The woman who had helped him through his vision he had to see the life beyond, the one he had waiting half away around the world, the one he needed to return to realize.

The life he had hoped to build with the woman he loved only she had been facing her own nightmare.

C.J.

He lifted his head because he needed to know where she was, that she was safe and not…back there.

A bullet had struck his shoulder and he had been slowly bleeding to death and trying to hide it from everyone…hopefully until he found C.J. and they all got out of there. But he had been flown out by helicopter to a trauma center where he underwent the surgery that saved his life. But she wasn't there with him…he didn't feel her presence and a stab of urgency rushed through him, forcing him to try to sit up.

Pain quickly hit him when he moved and a hand, a strong one, pushed him back down on the bed.

"C.J…"

"I'm Nurse Jenson…you just got out of surgery and are still in recovery…you're going to be with us for a while…"

"But… I got to go and find her."

He saw the outline of the nurse and heard her sigh of patience.

"You're not going anywhere or you'll rip the repair job and the surgeons won't be happy if they have to go back in…you weren't an easy patient."

He sighed from where he lay. No he supposed not and he'd heard those words before but now all he could think about was C.J. and where she might be…if anything happened to her while he was here…he didn't know what he would do.

God, he felt so damn helpless, flat on his back with tubes snaking out of him while she could be in horrible straits or…

He closed his eyes, not even willing to go down that path of what might be. He had to do the most difficult thing in the world to him, which was to have faith in others, in her to ensure her safety and survival.

"Now hush Mr. Houston…I'm going to give you something to help you sleep…it's really what you need right now."

"No you can't…I…"

But she had already injected some sedative in his IV line and he felt himself slipping away again, his eyes fluttering.

The last thing on his mind before he drifted off was on the woman he loved.

* * *

C.J. watched as Antonio and Andre continued to fight, the room filling with sounds of their intense struggle as they moved closer and closer to the French Doors…that were ajar. She saw Antonio heading in that direction and knew what he was going to do. She inhaled sharply and got up on her feet, the picture frame still in hand.

Antonio forced Andre onto the balcony and the two men fought, each pushing each other against the wooden rail which separated them from a precarious drop onto the rocky shore.

C.J. knew that Antonio had to win this fight or the world wouldn't be free of Andre and his evilness. The son of Marquis had been knocked down before and had gotten back up again stronger. His tentacles that had taken hold of the human trafficking world had been cut off by his competition and they grew back more plentiful and stronger like some kind of Hydra.

But at long last, Andre had his life in the hands of another and his death assured if Antonio could hoist him off the balcony. Not even Andre could arise back from certain death. He wouldn't return to kidnap a woman, rape and torment repeatedly and then sell her into slavery.

C.J. had experienced what it was like to be another's property to be used and sold to be used by someone else. And countless other women had preceded her, many had littered the earth with their unmarked graves…the ones fortunate enough to have not survived.

She knew then at that moment that she would kill Andre even if it brought her own death because she just couldn't let him live…and so she rushed onto the balcony which creaked from the combined weight and hit Andre with the picture frame after he had pinned Antonio against the rail. That gave Antonio several seconds to move quickly and struggle again with Andre in the confined space while C.J. braced herself against the rail to act again if necessary to end what had started years ago…at some party where he had looked across the guests and had seen her for the first time in Boston.

Her life had never been her own…he had always lurked in the background like a shadowing menace,..and sometimes like a puppeteer in ways that sickened her just to think about like when he whored her out to men that she thought had sought her out for a lover not a prostitute.

How much of her life had been mapped out by him…and how would she ever know the answers to the questions which would keep her awake at night…even if he were dead.

She shook those thoughts out of her mind for later and concentrated on the here and now and watched closely as the two men struggled for domination, and to decide who would live and who would die. When Andre came near her, she hit him with the frame, which cracked and splintered becoming more deadly.

When he had tried to grab her to buffer himself from Antonio, she had struck up with the frame and hit the part of himself he had used to enslave her. He groaned then and momentarily weakened and she struck him there again.

But instead of shielding his groin from further blows he grabbed onto Antonio and swung him but this time he misaimed and they both struck the balcony with full impact breaking the rail. Andre flipped over it like a rag doll, his hands frantically feeling for something to grab and his screams filling the air as he hit the rocks somewhere below. Momentum almost pushed Antonio over but C.J. grabbed him with all of her strength and they fell backward on the weakened balcony. His head on her lap and she knew that his life was ebbing out of him as she stroked his face…hearing his gasps for breath…the blood bubbling on his lips, knowing he didn't have much time left.

The part of her that had been enslaved for longer than she knew felt a lightness inside of her…a giddiness that she felt move through her even as her adrenalin levels started to ebb and weariness began to take a hold.

So she sat there for a moment and then noticed that she still held the broken picture frame that she had grabbed to save her life. She looked down at the faded photograph still encased in the frame stained by blood.

The picture of a man she knew to be Marquis Duval standing next to a beautiful young woman with long dark hair. They both looked happy, his hand rested on her shoulder. C.J. wondered if back then, they knew they were going to share a son who would grow up trying to outdo the man who was his father.

The son whose body now lay broken on a rocky beach, the innocence of a little boy long gone…


	132. Chapter 132

C.J. had felt everything go numb at her when she realized that the man who had haunted and hunted her for so long was lying dead on the rocky beach below them.

Lying in her arms right now was the man who had been two sides of the same coin, ally and adversary, the man who had brought her to Andre but who had also helped free her as well. His lungs heaved as he tried to suck in air that wouldn't keep him alive. Once a strong man, he sagged against her now, his olive skin turning ashen. He spoke softer, more raggedly trying to squeeze some more words in before death took him.

She held him not knowing what to do as her own face bled, her blood mixing with his own. Hearing a cry, she looked up and saw Elena coming towards her, trying to remain calm but the expression on her face…

C.J. knew that she needed time to spend with the brother who had crossed a planet to find her again and so she moved a little to allow the younger girl to squeeze into where she also helped support her brother.

"Elena…."

"No…don't say anything…you need to lie still and save your strength until help comes…"

But Antonio, his face draining of all that had been his life shook his head and reached up to touch her face. She grabbed his limp hand and held it against her warm cheek, and she closed her eyes tightly then, a rush of all the memories she had forgotten coming to a head…and all the ones they would never share…

"You have to…you have to get out of here Elena…and you have to live…to do something with your life…"

She had a hard time hearing him but she nodded, tears springing in her eyes, her ebony hair rustling a bit in the ocean breeze. Morning had come, and the sun had shone brightly, lightening on the isle with its warmth.

But Antonio's skin felt cooler…and his movements grew more still…until he could only move his eyes to try to focus on his sister…the last sight he would ever see.

"Stay with her…do what she tells you…"

And C.J. knew he wanted her to look after his sister, who after all didn't have a family that had wanted to take care of her, selling her away when she had been a small girl like with her dead sister. So she nodded at Antonio.

"I'll take care of Elena…you don't have to worry…"

He smiled then, weakly as he grimaced as breathing became tougher, more of a battle than not…it was getting harder to stay alive than to slip away into darkness. He reached out his hand to C.J. and she took hold of it, with her own stronger grip.

"I'm sorry…..," was all he said before…

She saw the life slip out of his eyes, where it had been once, the next moment it had gone…as he left this world and went onto whatever awaited him.

Perhaps to reunite with his sister, Sierra.

Elena didn't cry then, she just wiped her eyes gently and then turned to C.J. and appraised her face.

"I'll go get something for that cut…it looks nasty…"

She left to get something to press against it to slow the bleeding where it had once again been sliced by glass. Though this time, C.J. had chosen to fight instead of flee her nightmare.

* * *

Matt grimaced as he tried to sit up in bed, but it just wasn't working for him. He was in what appeared to be a normal, very familiar setup called a hospital room. It didn't matter what hospital in what corner of the world with what type of injury, they all looked the same and he liked none of them.

And C.J. still hadn't shown up and that scared him…and it made him feel helpless because every time he tried to move…that damn shoulder.

Not to mention the nurse who had been keeping a close eye over him…as if she had received the notice that no nurse could ever turn her back on Matt who would try to flee any hospitalization as soon as possible.

And nothing had ever pulled him so much as did not seeing her next to him. Not knowing where she was right now at this very minute. Was she still back on Sapphire Island, fighting her own battle to live?

His heart pounded at the thought because she had already endured so much already, the horror of the past months that began not long after he took off on his travels. But he'd lost blood and just moving around weakened him. Matt hated it when his body didn't do what he wanted or needed it to do and often he pushed himself too hard…and paid the price.

But right now, he couldn't even push himself too hard stuck on his back, his mind racing to someplace miles across the expanse of the ocean.

A nurse walked into the room and looked at his chart.

"How are you doing Mr. Houston?"

He eyed her carefully wondering if she bore any unsuspected gifts like a sharp needle. He really didn't want to go out like a light again.

"I'll be fine if you don't put me out again…"

She sighed softly.

"Okay…if you promise not to try to leave…again…I'll give you milder pain medication."

His brows arched.

"Tried to escape? I've been very good…this time…"

She chuckled.

"Oh you probably don't remember then…well that's to be expected when the body has experienced a traumatic injury…"

"Remember what?"

Because he tried to think back as far as he could and no attempts to escape came to mind.

She looked down at him.

"You tried to bolt…but didn't get very far…kept talking about someone named "C.J." or something."

He nodded, though it still hadn't come back to him.

"Is she your wife or something?"

Or something….he closed his eyes trying to digest the complexity of those words.

"No…a friend…"

The nurse smiled.

"Will she be coming by to visit later?"

Matt felt a weight on his chest because he didn't even know how to answer that, because he didn't even know where the hell she was right now.

If she was even still alive…no he couldn't believe other than that she was out there trying to find her way back…to him.

"I don't know…I hope…"

All he could do because he had never felt as helpless he kept telling himself as he did right now. He could only pray as he had been left to do in the past after she had been wheeled to surgery with bullets that needed to be removed and he had been left sitting and waiting for any word…hopefully the right words.

The nurse patted his good shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll see her soon…"

And then she fussed with his IV bottle and left him…asking himself that same question over and over…when would he see her again.

* * *

C.J. sat patiently as someone taped something on her face to staunch the bleeding while admonishing her that she would need stitches. She just shrugged, that part of her face above her brows had become a road map to the past year of her life.

Elena had been looked over by one of the pack of commandos in green uniforms who had come rushing into the room after everything had already happened in there. She had just shrugged them off, intent on watching over her brother who lay there on the balcony. C.J. knew that Elena felt as numb as she did about his death…because the feelings couldn't be allowed to surface until later…when they were someplace safer than the compound which still had that aura of danger even though it had been seized by the military and federal agents.

Jonathan had breezed in finally with Sally his partner nearby and he had expressed relief that C.J. and Elena had been fine…he had told C.J. that Vince and the others had gotten out.

And the most important news of all about Matt…that he had survived the escape and had been flown to a hospital on another island… That news had nearly brought her to complete collapse because she hadn't even allowed herself to think about him…in the battle for more than her own life. Because if she had thought about him, had wondered…she would have weakened and that would have cost her any chance of reuniting with him.

She wanted to go to the hospital and Jonathan with his hand on her shoulder promised that he'd get a chopper to fly her off the island to the hospital. The air strip and the harbor were a flurry of enforcement activity as most of those who had fled had been met and rounded up. The women who had been smuggled out had been rescued and were being processed at a makeshift facility that would house them during that complicated process. C.J. knew that they had already been traumatized…but they had also been spared much worse by the timely military operation.

As for her, she felt so many different emotions…she couldn't begin to sort through them and besides it was most important to find Matt and to hold him, so she would really know that he had survived.

That they both had made it.

She talked to Jonathan about flying Antonio's body back to the village where he had lived. Elena wanted to go back too…if not to stay than to say goodbye to her past. Her own life had many possibilities and one of them was going back to school…though she had gotten some education through tutoring. C.J. knew if she worked hard, she would be able to go to university and get a degree of her choice…

A man came to her and told her that it was time for her to leave the compound and the island.

Finally.

She followed him to the helicopter to be reunited with Matt.

He lay in his bed as the sunlight streamed through the blinds on a nearby window, dancing on the walls. The medication she had given him had made the pain ebb but still left him alert. He had sweet talked another nurse into giving him a phone to call the States back in Houston where he had been able to talk to a very relieved Uncle Roy and Chris. They would be flying to the island to meet up with them. The feds had also told him that the compound had been completely raided but still no definitive word on C.J. or Elena.

He knew that C.J. had it within herself to survive and escape from the compound but realized that would have meant confronting Andre and killing him if necessary.

He also knew that the real struggle for her life hadn't yet begun. She had been insulated somewhat by being caught up in first the struggle to escape and hide from the man who pursued her and then to fight him.

But the largest battles that remained lived inside of her. He remembered when he had faced his own traumatic ordeals that it was only after rescue had happened that he began to truly struggle with what demons had attached themselves along the way. C.J. had been instrumental in being there with him during those difficult times and he knew he would do the same for her

He just needed to see her again…to look at her face…to touch her skin and to hold her close.

To tell her not to worry about the future because he'd be there with her….and with Chris and Roy on their way…it would be quite a reunion. Vince and Zeke had already left word with the hospital that they'd be flying to see him as the military sorted out transport for everyone. They hadn't mentioned anything about C.J.

The waiting game for him would keep going until he knew for sure what had happened with her…as he ached to see her again.

* * *

C.J. sat inside the military chopper, looking out the window. The bandage on her face itched but would suffice until the doctor could tend to it. A couple of medics were on there with her and so was Elena who had finally left Antonio after Jonathan had personally told her he would look after his handling and transport.

The two of them had been helped onto the chopper just before it was about to lift off of Sapphire Island to the spot which housed the trauma center treating Matt. She had been told he'd gone through surgery smoothly and was resting comfortably.

Oh she knew that last part to be a lie. Matt never, ever rested comfortably in a hospital and had probably tried to find a way out at least a couple times already. Well, she thought with a smile, he'd have to park all such thoughts of escaping when she arrived because she'd make damn sure that he followed the doctor's instructions to the letter…after she checked him out to make sure he was okay.

Her body ached and she felt weary after the adrenalin had left her. She tried not to think about what had happened, tried to focus on the man waiting for her across a span of ocean.

Whatever else her mind harbored would just have to wait.


	133. Chapter 133

Matt had drifted off to sleep again because the nurse had given him some more pain medication for his injured shoulder. His vital signs were improving and if he continued to do well, he could be released within a couple of days with a list of stern instructions to follow for aftercare. The doctor had told him that he might need to rehab that shoulder to get it back to full strength.

He had promised he'd do that but his mind had been on C.J. who still was out there somewhere, probably on Sapphire Island. Word had come back that the military commandos and federal agents had seized control of Andre's compound and the surrounding area including a hidden airstrip and the main harbor. But nothing about what had happened to C.J. or the man who had terrorized her or anyone else.

Vince had dropped by before he had passed out. He had slapped him on his good shoulder and given him a hard time for getting himself shot again and forcing Vince and the mercenaries to have to rescue him.

He'd asked about C.J. and Vince had said that the commandos were storming the compound and they'd find C.J. and they'd bust or either kill Andre.

"He's not going to go easily," Matt said.

"No…I wouldn't think so."

Matt hoped that if there was a show of force by the commandos against Andre and any of his security men that C.J. wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. She'd gone through enough already to not be able to escape from him once and for all…to be able to begin to put her ordeal behind her.

"Want me to call anyone for you?"

Matt shook his head.

"Uncle Roy and Chris are on their way here."

Vince smiled.

"That'll be a nice reunion when C.J. gets here."

Matt sighed, glad that Vince didn't say_ if_ she got here. He had to keep his mind on her coming back to him as soon as she could do so. But it'd be easier if he had just heard any world on her whereabouts.

Vince left not long after and Matt tried to keep his eyes opened but the injection the nurse had given him earlier had begun to take effect and he began to nod off.

Soon he was asleep but his last thought was of her.

* * *

C.J.'s brow itched where the doctor had finally stitched it up and she had changed into someone's clothes that had been provided for her at the hospital. The doctor who had fixed her up and when he had heard her history, advised her to get a complete physical.

That had taken a while longer and she had come out of it in great health with no signs of the infection that had nearly taken her life months ago. The only caveat was that she might have to get the broken bone in her wrist surgically repaired when she got back to Houston where she was planning on staying once this part of her ordeal was over. She had been referred to a forensic psychologist who would help her deal with the more emotional side of what she'd been through the past months.

She knew it was for her but also for the arduous process of preparing her for any criminal proceedings which would arise from the raid. Andre might be dead but there were others that had been rounded up and indicted who had been involved in what had happened to her and other women including on conspiracy charges. In that group, would be Scott who had already been transferred to a federal detention center in Miami and placed in protective custody.

But all she could think while doctors poked and prodded at her and nurses took notes was when she would see him again. It'd seemed like forever since she last did…when she thought it might be goodbye.

"Am I done now?"

The doctor looked up at her and nodded.

"You're healthy…and in good shape."

She slid off the table and headed to the door.

"Where are they keeping Mr. Houston?"

The doctor put down her chart.

"He's resting comfortably from surgery to remove a bullet that didn't belong in his shoulder."

"I heard about that…will you tell me where to find him?"

He just looked at her.

"I don't know if it's visiting hours."

She folded her arms.

"Just tell me or I'll go found out some other way even if I have to search every room here."

The doctor sighed.

"You can find the information out at the nurse's desk."

But C.J. had already gotten out of there.

* * *

Matt lay in his room, sleeping peacefully where she found him after the nurse had surrendered that information. She walked in quietly, not wanting to disturb him but needing to see him again.

The first time she had really been able to since he'd left on his sabbatical months ago. They'd been at odds then when he left not knowing what the future held for either one of them and then when they'd reunited, they'd been busy enough just trying to survive and not be discovered by either the good guys or the villains.

Now she walked towards his bed, nothing that he looked like she remembered, except for an IV bag and that he was wearing one of those hated hospital gowns. She sat in a chair next to him and took his limp hand in hers, carefully as he had done for her in the past when it had been her lying in bed. She took it in both of hers, rubbing it between them trying to soothe him.

Not knowing whether he felt her presence there or not. The room was dimly lit but she could see a stream of light working its way through the shades on the window and she moved closer to him.

His hand felt warm in hers and she felt his calluses press against her scarred fingers. She felt lightness on her heart now that they were together again…away from what she'd been running from and she would be here when he awakened.

"Hey…"

She looked down at him and saw his eyes flutter open and a weak smile on his face, when they found her.

"Hiya Boss."

"Hiya C.J."

His voice sounded familiar to her which reassured her that they were indeed back together in the same place at a different time than when they'd last seen each other.

"You got shot Houston…"

"Yeah…I know…I tried to avoid it but it happens."

She almost chuckled then because it happened to both of them much more than the average person.

"It took me a while to get here," she said, "But I finally did."

He looked at her and squeezed her hand with his own, and it felt much stronger. She felt moisture come to her eyes.

"What happened…?"

She reached up to touch her face.

"Oh it's nothing…the point is that we're together Houston…and I'm not leaving."

He smiled.

"I can't…they said they'd tie me to this bed if I tried it."

She did laugh then and a couple of tears slipped out of her eyes onto her cheeks. Then his face grew tender, his brown eyes seeking out hers.

"Come here…"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you sure…?"

He nodded as he sat up as much as he could and she wrapped her arms so carefully around him and he did so with his good arm, and she tucked her head into his chest and she cried tears of pent up relief…that they were both alive and safe.

As for the rest of the world, it would wait for a while.

* * *

She walked alongside him when they wheeled Matt in the wheel chair as they both departed the hospital. They both had been banged up but had received clean bills of health. Jonathan had found them an apartment a bungalow to stay in that was part of a hotel which had been commandeered by the federal agents as a hub for the teams that had been sent out to Sapphire Island and other nearby isles to investigate and gather evidence and more information on the human trafficking ring run by Andre and his partners.

Jonathan had been concerned that a couple big players including the one called The Jaguar had slipped from the net that had been placed over the operation. Mostly because they had never been able to discover his real name and to the authorities, he still remained a faceless shadow who had slipped back into the cover of darkness. But Jonathan and other agents predicted that he would be quiet for a while, possibly a year or two to avoid detection in an investigation which now swept the globe.

But sooner or later, he'd resurface if only to fill the vacuum caused by Andre's death which would just be too tempting to pass by.

The evidence collected at the compound on Sapphire Island and several other facilities controlled by Andre had been harrowing to review and most of it had been sealed up with a confidentiality label to be used later on when they built cases against the surviving players. Scott was housed in detention in Miami crying for his attorney but none had stepped forward. He had been the subject of several death threats and part of Jonathan wished that someone would take out the piece of crap but he was duty bound to protect his witness.

As long as he worked for the U.S. Marshal's office anyway because in his mind, he still envisioned that resignation letter sitting inside his desk drawer at his bureau office. Sally worked with him and had put in a transfer for another assignment. Rhonda had been staying in the bungalow next to the one shared by C.J. and Matt and more often than not, they shared late night dinners together.

He thought with a smile that if he played his cards right, they might start sharing breakfasts together as well.

Matt recovered from his bullet wound at the bungalow but it didn't take him long to get restless. Chris and Roy had arrived and had rooms in the hotel but they had spent daytime getting him caught up with both his investigative agency and his company. Murray tracked him down and began sending a flurry of emails and faxes requiring his attention.

But he always made sure he had plenty of time for C.J. Because he knew that she really needed him right now. Her days were busy also, as she spent hours at the makeshift investigative hub painstakingly rebuilding her statement from what she had already provided. They also needed her assistance when evaluating some of the evidence they found…and that had proven to be even more difficult for her. Seeing the photos of female remains, those that could be identified with other photos of them uncovered in the searches of different key locations.

She came back to the bungalow exhausted and Matt made sure he was always there waiting. To take a walk on the beach or to order in dinner or just lay together some place and talk about nothing and everything. He knew that she had difficulty sleeping at night and sometimes she let him know it…and let him in.

"I'm sorry Houston…"

He'd slip underneath the covers next to her and he'd wrap his arms around her as tightly as she wanted her body curling against him.

"What do you have to be sorry about?"

She paused.

"About all this…I'm really trying but…"

He stroked her arm as she lay with her head on his chest…still careful of that shoulder.

"I know…now hush now and get some sleep…"

He knew when she closed her eyes and let go of her defenses enough to slip into slumber that a man who was now laying unclaimed for burial still waited for her in her dreams.

And he'd keep his hold on her so somewhere in that other world; she might feel someone protecting her from a man whose impact on her would hopefully fade with the passage of time.

The doctor had warned her about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which Matt had been intimately familiar with having dealt with it himself during traumatic periods of his life, stemming back to his kidnapping as a young boy. If it hadn't been for the woman lying against him right now, he didn't know if he would have made it. When he thought of what lay ahead of her…he would close his eyes and stem away the anger, and frustration he felt against those responsible, dead and living. The helplessness he had felt in the face of her nightmarish ordeal hadn't completely left him.

But soon enough they'd be heading back to Houston once they were finished here with family and friends. And when Elena returned from Ecuador after burying one brother there, she would find some place inside of her to do the same for her half-brother Andre.

C.J. had hoped that after doing that, she'd join her in Houston. She had told her she'd sponsor her for residency once the feds were done with her if she wanted but Elena still hadn't made any decisions about her future. Matt would also be heading to Houston before returning to his business back in L.A. and he had mixed feelings about that. He knew that C.J. wasn't ready to join him and the top trauma psychologist was in Houston…one who had expertise with dealing with trafficked women.

Matt knew that out there another threat remained, the unknown man who had paid Andre to buy C.J. for his own business. As long as he remained out there in the shadows, she could never stop looking over her shoulder even as Jonathan and Simon reassured her that it was highly unlikely while the dragnet and its aftermath was unfolding that The Jaguar would do anything but remain under the radar.

As he felt himself drift off to sleep with the woman he loved next to him, Matt realized that the future of both of them would be in flux for some time to come but at least they would both experience whatever it brought together. He heard her murmur next to him and her brow knit…and he kissed her on the forehead, pulling her closer to him as they both slept.


	134. Chapter 134

Hi, this is really the final chapter of "Glimmer of Twilight", thanks so much for reading this story the last (!) 2 ½ years. Wow, had no idea it would take that long for the story to be told! I've really enjoyed working on it and I hope folks enjoyed reading it.

In case you've started, "Mustang Madness" is the second major story and "A Circle of Women" , a cross fiction with _Walker: Texas Ranger_ is the third.

I'm working on the story involving the Jaguar character next, trying to outline the basic plotlines. If you read the "Halloween" story as well as this one, there are some hints about him. The story will probably take place after "Mustang…" and before "Circle…".

Again, thanks very much for reading and your support…not to mention patience!

* * *

_**Six months later…**_

Matt sat underneath the tree sipping some cold beer while the activity of others milled about him. A group of ranchers and other folks had shown up to help raze the new barn to replace the one that had burned down to the ground one dark winter night. Matt had worked construction during his summer breaks while at Rice University so he felt right in his element helping build a barn on a ranch not much different than the one that had raised him.

He had taken a break, grabbed a cold one and sat back to relax for a few moments while Jed, Jonathan, Reed and others nailed the framework pieces which would be hoisted up to form the newly constructed walls. Rhonda and C.J. had been working on what would be the doors and window frames, while Thea and Bonnie and other women brought out plenty of food and cold drinks to keep everyone well fed while they worked.

Jed barked out orders as the foreman of the job, having fully recovered from his bullet wound suffered some months before when he had been trying to help C.J. escape from some of Andre's hit men. Bonnie had helped nurse him back to health amidst some grumbling on his part and the two had to the delight of everyone around them started seeing each other. Jed had made peace with his past life which had cost him the life of his beloved wife and had felt like a new man with Bonnie in his life.

Rhonda and Jonathan had also started dating and had gotten quite serious still meeting in Houston for breakfasts, lunches and dinners even though Jonathan had left the U.S. Marshal's office except to serve as a consultant on the trafficking case involving Andre's operation. He worked directly with Simon who had been promoted in the FBI as well as the U.S. Attorney's office.

Matt had also fully recovered from his own bullet wound and his shoulder no longer pained him and C.J. had gotten through her own surgery to properly repair her broken wrist with flying colors and had gotten the cast off several months ago. She had been living in Houston, working in the women's crisis center with Rhonda and Fran while undergoing her own intensive counseling with a woman she felt comfortable with working through the darkest chapter of her life. Matt had watched her struggle to rebuild her life, and reclaim her identity back from the men who had stolen it, had celebrated her successes and held her when she cried.

By the time he had flown back to his backed up caseload in L.A., he had fallen more deeply in love but had kept it to himself knowing that she had enough in her life to deal with right now. Sometimes she allowed people in, and other times, she closed everyone around her out…just to survive.

So he waited until she could accept what he had to give her and concentrated on being her best friend, as he had been most of their lives.

He hadn't had to talk her into taking this vacation to the ranch which had been so instrumental in saving her life. She had wanted to go back and thank those who had helped her without expecting anything in return, including those who had risked their own safety to keep her secure during a time when very little felt within her control.

So right now, he sat and watched the most beautiful, vibrant woman out there hammering some wood while chatting with Rhonda, and laughing over something. His heart skipped a beat watching her laugh…the part of her he had missed the most in the past harrowing months. A man could fall in love just from listening to it and it had drawn him more deeply in that direction once again.

"Enjoying the beer?"

Matt looked up and saw Thea sitting down nearby, a beer in her own hand and keeping an eye on the barn razing. He nodded and marveled at how organized the effort had been since they began it this morning.

"I remember the night it burned down…we barely saved all the horses and if it hadn't been for C.J…"

Matt knew the story about how she had gotten out of bed and still in her nightclothes had grabbed Sienna from the barn and ridden through the frigid night in the direction of the flickering flames and the scream of the trapped horses. She had been acting on instinct having been through a similar experience while growing up and hadn't felt the exhaustion from pushing her still weakened body so hard until afterward.

"She's quite a woman Matlock."

Matt couldn't argue with that.

"Yes she is…"

"How's she doing?"

Matt sighed as he watched her examine her handiwork.

"Pretty good…she's been working hard with the foundation when she's not helping the attorneys on her case….it's getting larger with each woman they interview and she's given them a lot."

Thea nodded, and studied Matt carefully, with a smile.

"How are you doing," she asked.

Matt paused.

"I'm back in L.A. but still spending weekends in Houston when I can…work piled up but I make the time."

"That's good…I know it's hard when you love someone so much…to be separated by more than just distance."

He blinked his eyes and she widened her smile.

"Oh come on, of course you do. You did even before all this happened…didn't you?"

He nodded; it was the truth after all and sipped his beer thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I knew…that's why I returned to L.A. to tell her…but everything got so turned upside down for a while…and I think if I hadn't left…"

She shook her head.

"Don't blame yourself for what you can't change. What matters is how hard you fought to get her back…to help her find her way back."

He felt some of the heaviness leave him.

"You'll get where you need to go…you both will…it will take more time but you'll get there. You just have to be patient."

He nodded again.

"I know…"

And indeed he did. At that moment, he looked up and saw her walking towards him, with a smile on her face that warmed him deep inside. She went to get a beer and sat down beside him.

"We've finished the doors and we're taking a break."

They watched Rhonda taking Jonathan's hand and leading him to the refreshment table.

"It looks like it's coming along mighty well."

She nodded.

"Yeah and when it's done, the horses will finally be able to return to it…their home."

He wrapped his arm around her and her head nestled comfortably against him as he watched the men began to raise up one side of the new barn and knew that what she said would come to pass.

The horses would indeed return to where they had lived at last and eventually too, he and the woman beside him who he loved more than life itself would find their own way home.


End file.
